Sarah's mother, when Sarah was merely a dream, was in the process of growing up in a very rural area. Destiny had always felt, from the Time she became aware, that she didn't quite belong. The area she grew up in offered everything necessary for the rearing of a good, healthy body; fresh air, plenty of sunshine, wholesome, home-grown food & a family that loved her. But Destiny wanted more!
Sarah's grandmother had been married to a farmer at a relatively early age & so Destiny grew up in a house of Love, though it was not as she might have wished. She knew, in her innermost being, that her family loved her, but 'damn', they sure had a strange way of showing it. Her older brother, on the other hand; she was pretty sure that he held no love for her. He was always pestering her to 'try harder', as if whatever she endeavored or accomplished wasn't good enough!
Destiny's parents weren't much better; being the super-strict religious types, they were always on her case to 'do better', 'don't do that', 'stay away from THOSE kind of people'! Suffering under such conditions, as she did, she looked forward to the day when she would be able to leave it all behind. Well before her 18th birthday, Destiny had run away from home, unsuccessfully I might add, numerous times. Because of the stranglehold, as she felt it was, that her overbearing parents had on her, she had never made it further than across state lines. Back she came, dragging her feet, but more determined then ever to 'try harder' & 'do better' next time..........................to escape, that is!
Several years later, the day before her 18th birthday, with little but the clothes on her back & with her thumb perpetually stuck out. Destiny set out on her own for the promise of glory in parts unknown! Through many hardships & trials, she finally reached what she thought was the proper destination, a place more worthy of her exalted status than the little podunk town she had grown up in. The city she decided to rest her travel-weary bones in was by no means the largest, but coming from such a small, rural area, as she did, Destiny believed it to be, with all the entertainment value anyone could ask for & endless opportunity for adventure!
The 'adventure' that Destiny had been waiting for her whole, short life had finally come to fruition, but it proved to be a much different manifestation than the Glory she had envisioned. She was forced to seek shelter right away because, not being a careful planner, Destiny had forgotten that her birthday was during one of the coldest times of the year, dead-winter! Even though the area she had chosen to settle didn't get all that cold, when compared to where she had spent her formative years, during the winter months especially, it rained pretty much every day & was quite chilly; the moisture seemed to eat right into her bones!
Destiny was very attractive ( that was her primary achievement ), so when she got to the big city, it wasn't too difficult to get what she wanted, for a price of course. After such a long time on the road ( it was only about a week or so, truth be told ), Destiny was willing to do just about anything to stop running & settle down for a bit. The problem was that she had to do some things that, in her former life, would have landed her in a world of hurt!
For a time, Destiny felt like she was enjoying her Time in the Big City; she was feeling loved, having the fun she'd always felt she was missing & the doors to ecstasy that she'd always known were waiting for her out there somewhere were opening up all around her! Compared to the life she had known previously, Destiny was living on the edge-a place she'd always suspected existed, but was never allowed to seek out. Up to this point in her bodily existence, Destiny had never experienced such freedom. On the other hand, she had never experienced such pain & with every new one, she was learning how un-prepared she really was to make her way through this world.
Sarah's mother was learning that Life was like a bed of roses, very beautiful under the right circumstances, with the proper care, but full of thorns under all that beauty; if not careful, she would prick herself & things could get ugly very quickly! As she began to learn the ins & outs of Life in the Big City, Destiny found that the rose-colored glasses she had been used to looking at life through tended to hide some of the darker, uglier aspects. Before long, she found herself rather missing the security she had suffered & labored under in her former life. The family she had left behind became an almost fond memory as Destiny was forced to accept the reality she had chosen, ready or not.
In the following years, Destiny found herself face to face with many choices that she didn't feel up to, but they were here choices & make them she must! The 'love' she felt she had missed out on for all of her former life ( especially from her older brother ), she had found in this strange new world, but the price for such 'love' was higher than she'd ever expected; the sacrifices she'd had to make, the things she had to suffer to find & keep that 'love' { the first of many ) took a toll on her body, the like of which she had never known!
___________________________________________________________________________________
Destiny's Story is all too familiar! Many young women & men have left the comfort & shelter of home to seek their fortunes elsewhere, in search of something more. This story is total fiction, but Destiny's Dilemma is not a strange one; the hardships & trials she suffered are not new to many of my readers, either directly or indirectly. It is my wish, that through her story, others may be able to find their way in this world without suffering as she did. Life, as our 'heroine' began to discover, is more than our experience in mere physicality, in this biology! Life consists, not in what we experience in this world, but, as Destiny would have realized, if only she'd been able to quiet her mind sooner, in how we choose to be, to manifest, in our innermost being.
Charles Haddon Shank
Monday, April 10, 2017
Thursday, April 06, 2017
The Kingdom of Heaven
'Yes, Virginia, there IS a 'Heaven'!
The traditional concept of 'Heaven' ( not 'Cloud Nine' & harps ) IS a Scriptural one, sort of, but over the years, there has been much disagreement over its nature. Questions like 'How?', 'When?' & 'Where?' have been the underlying cause of some division in the Body of Christ. It has been fairly well accepted that the way you get there ( 'How?' is by following the Law/Spirit of God, but the question of when we will go there ( wherever 'there' is ) is where we get into the most trouble!
First, to clarify what I mean by 'Heaven' & the fact that 'it IS a Scriptural ( concept)'; there ARE almost countless Scriptures, mainly in the Psalms, that speak of 'Heaven' as the dwelling ( place ) of the Creator God, or 'Yahweh' to the Israelites. 'Heaven', as a study of both the Greek & Hebrew terms will show, simply means 'sky'; it is only by extension ( interpretation? ) that it was taken to mean 'the abode of God'. Because of a classical misunderstanding of the scriptural phrase 'heaven & earth', we in the West have conjured up these fanciful notions of anything from sitting on clouds strumming harps, to our own private mansion in the afterlife. The Scriptural phrase in question refers, as we have explored before, to a peculiar ( covenant ) people, Israel by name, who symbolically, at first, embodied, through the Tabernacle, then through the Temple, the Dwelling of the Creator God with ( in ) His Creation.
Scripturally speaking, then, we should note, with the fulfillment of prophecy, heaven has been brought to earth, since, as Scripture says, 'the tabernacle of God [ is ] with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them [ and be ] their God' ( Revelation 21:3 ( Ephesians 2:22, et al ). Understanding that it is by Covenant alone that this is realized, it should be clear from the outset that, in context, the prophecies ( promises ) of Scripture were, first & foremost, to & for Israel. What is not so clear, however, is who exactly Israel is comprised of, or in other words, who 'Israel' symbolizes. Previously in this blog, I have surmised that 'Israel' was representative, or even symbolic of, all of humanity. In this case, then, when Scripture ( Revelation 21:3, et al ) speaks of the dwelling ( place ) of God being with men, although it refers primarily to New Covenant Israel, it should be understood as referring ( by extension ) to the inclusion of all humanity!
Does all humanity realize this glorious fact? The obvious answer is 'no', but does that change the fact? Again, the obvious answer is 'no'! We might wonder, then, whether because of our religious training ( indoctrination? ) or what, how 'the tabernacle of God [ is ] with men', if this includes all of humanity?! Can one BE a dwelling ( place ) of the Creator God if one is a sinner, who in other words, has not agreed with the Covenant revealed in Scripture? I'm sure we've all heard, as Christians especially, that 'God does not dwell with sin' ( either that, or 'He cannot.......'-of course, here we might run into problems, too ), so, of course, that would mean that only those who have 'turned their life over to Jesus' can be a receptacle for the Holy Spirit, right?
Jesus Himself said, 'the kingdom of God is within you'! Admittedly, He DID say this to the representative leaders of Israel, so that would make sense, but since, as we've seen, Israel itself was representative of humanity, it stands to reason that Jesus was saying that the Kingdom of Heaven is not, in its very nature, a physical, material 'place'; rather, it is a Kingdom of the Heart, of the innermost being. In this context, then, are we not ALL, every human being on planet earth, by nature, spiritual beings? Now, it's true that there are many out there who have been able, through whatever means & to whatever extent, to squelch their spiritual nature, but that does not change the fact that they are, by their very nature, first & foremost, spiritual creatures. I mean, it's not like one's disagreement with or ignorance of would negate their very nature or even the Presence of the Kingdom, right?!
The apostle Paul wrote, 'the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit' ( Romans 14:17 ): this WOULD seem to be exclusive, right?! Well, at first glance, maybe, but how many are there out there who do experience peace & joy, who practice righteousness even though they don't claim to be Christians & have no ties with the Organized, or Institutional Church? Maybe they don't show what most Christians would deem due reverence or fear for the Great & Holy Spirit! Can there be true righteousness, peace & joy apart from Christ? Have we alone, as Christians, attained that which the rest of the word has sought after ( in vain? ) for thousand of years, maybe even tens or hundreds of thousands? Is that not the height of arrogance & pride?!
The spiritual nature of every human being is an established fact! That many have all but forgotten this glorious fact is really quite beside the point; 'it is what it is'. Humanity's lack of realization does not change their nature, nor does it preclude them from the Kingdom of Heaven. Now, if they consciously disagree with its principles, those named above, by the apostle, even to the point of fighting against them, they most certainly will not enjoy the Blessings of the Kingdom, but their true nature & the Nature of the Kingdom are immutable!
You may have heard the phrase, 'Heaven is in our hearts', This is very arguably what Jesus meant when He told the Pharisees, 'the kingdom of God is within you'. As 'Heaven' is a spiritual 'place', or dimension, if you will, can we truly say that it only rests within the hearts, or innermost being, of those who have accepted the Messiah of Israel as their own? I think not; the Kingdom of Heaven rests within the hearts ( read 'spirits' ) of every man, woman & child, if they would but realize it. Sadly, not all do & so it does not manifest in their lives!
The questions of 'How?', 'When?' & 'Where?' have been answered. 'Heaven' is not something we look forward to in the afterlife! It's not even something we seek to attain. It is within us all; we just need to realize it, to choose to manifest it. It is something inside of us, something that is a part of us, of our very being. Every man, woman & child has the capacity to do rightly, to enjoy peace & rest; it's a matter of choice!
Charles Haddon Shank
The traditional concept of 'Heaven' ( not 'Cloud Nine' & harps ) IS a Scriptural one, sort of, but over the years, there has been much disagreement over its nature. Questions like 'How?', 'When?' & 'Where?' have been the underlying cause of some division in the Body of Christ. It has been fairly well accepted that the way you get there ( 'How?' is by following the Law/Spirit of God, but the question of when we will go there ( wherever 'there' is ) is where we get into the most trouble!
First, to clarify what I mean by 'Heaven' & the fact that 'it IS a Scriptural ( concept)'; there ARE almost countless Scriptures, mainly in the Psalms, that speak of 'Heaven' as the dwelling ( place ) of the Creator God, or 'Yahweh' to the Israelites. 'Heaven', as a study of both the Greek & Hebrew terms will show, simply means 'sky'; it is only by extension ( interpretation? ) that it was taken to mean 'the abode of God'. Because of a classical misunderstanding of the scriptural phrase 'heaven & earth', we in the West have conjured up these fanciful notions of anything from sitting on clouds strumming harps, to our own private mansion in the afterlife. The Scriptural phrase in question refers, as we have explored before, to a peculiar ( covenant ) people, Israel by name, who symbolically, at first, embodied, through the Tabernacle, then through the Temple, the Dwelling of the Creator God with ( in ) His Creation.
Scripturally speaking, then, we should note, with the fulfillment of prophecy, heaven has been brought to earth, since, as Scripture says, 'the tabernacle of God [ is ] with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them [ and be ] their God' ( Revelation 21:3 ( Ephesians 2:22, et al ). Understanding that it is by Covenant alone that this is realized, it should be clear from the outset that, in context, the prophecies ( promises ) of Scripture were, first & foremost, to & for Israel. What is not so clear, however, is who exactly Israel is comprised of, or in other words, who 'Israel' symbolizes. Previously in this blog, I have surmised that 'Israel' was representative, or even symbolic of, all of humanity. In this case, then, when Scripture ( Revelation 21:3, et al ) speaks of the dwelling ( place ) of God being with men, although it refers primarily to New Covenant Israel, it should be understood as referring ( by extension ) to the inclusion of all humanity!
Does all humanity realize this glorious fact? The obvious answer is 'no', but does that change the fact? Again, the obvious answer is 'no'! We might wonder, then, whether because of our religious training ( indoctrination? ) or what, how 'the tabernacle of God [ is ] with men', if this includes all of humanity?! Can one BE a dwelling ( place ) of the Creator God if one is a sinner, who in other words, has not agreed with the Covenant revealed in Scripture? I'm sure we've all heard, as Christians especially, that 'God does not dwell with sin' ( either that, or 'He cannot.......'-of course, here we might run into problems, too ), so, of course, that would mean that only those who have 'turned their life over to Jesus' can be a receptacle for the Holy Spirit, right?
Jesus Himself said, 'the kingdom of God is within you'! Admittedly, He DID say this to the representative leaders of Israel, so that would make sense, but since, as we've seen, Israel itself was representative of humanity, it stands to reason that Jesus was saying that the Kingdom of Heaven is not, in its very nature, a physical, material 'place'; rather, it is a Kingdom of the Heart, of the innermost being. In this context, then, are we not ALL, every human being on planet earth, by nature, spiritual beings? Now, it's true that there are many out there who have been able, through whatever means & to whatever extent, to squelch their spiritual nature, but that does not change the fact that they are, by their very nature, first & foremost, spiritual creatures. I mean, it's not like one's disagreement with or ignorance of would negate their very nature or even the Presence of the Kingdom, right?!
The apostle Paul wrote, 'the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit' ( Romans 14:17 ): this WOULD seem to be exclusive, right?! Well, at first glance, maybe, but how many are there out there who do experience peace & joy, who practice righteousness even though they don't claim to be Christians & have no ties with the Organized, or Institutional Church? Maybe they don't show what most Christians would deem due reverence or fear for the Great & Holy Spirit! Can there be true righteousness, peace & joy apart from Christ? Have we alone, as Christians, attained that which the rest of the word has sought after ( in vain? ) for thousand of years, maybe even tens or hundreds of thousands? Is that not the height of arrogance & pride?!
The spiritual nature of every human being is an established fact! That many have all but forgotten this glorious fact is really quite beside the point; 'it is what it is'. Humanity's lack of realization does not change their nature, nor does it preclude them from the Kingdom of Heaven. Now, if they consciously disagree with its principles, those named above, by the apostle, even to the point of fighting against them, they most certainly will not enjoy the Blessings of the Kingdom, but their true nature & the Nature of the Kingdom are immutable!
You may have heard the phrase, 'Heaven is in our hearts', This is very arguably what Jesus meant when He told the Pharisees, 'the kingdom of God is within you'. As 'Heaven' is a spiritual 'place', or dimension, if you will, can we truly say that it only rests within the hearts, or innermost being, of those who have accepted the Messiah of Israel as their own? I think not; the Kingdom of Heaven rests within the hearts ( read 'spirits' ) of every man, woman & child, if they would but realize it. Sadly, not all do & so it does not manifest in their lives!
The questions of 'How?', 'When?' & 'Where?' have been answered. 'Heaven' is not something we look forward to in the afterlife! It's not even something we seek to attain. It is within us all; we just need to realize it, to choose to manifest it. It is something inside of us, something that is a part of us, of our very being. Every man, woman & child has the capacity to do rightly, to enjoy peace & rest; it's a matter of choice!
Charles Haddon Shank
Saturday, April 01, 2017
In Dreams We Soar; Up Where We Belong
Deothora couldn't quite put her finger on it, but SOMETHING was definitely different! That old familiar feeling, the feeling of soaring through the clouds was back; she knew she had been here before, yet she somehow felt freer than ever before & although she felt more at home than ever before, it seemed that she was soaring above it all, without moving a muscle!
She was expecting to hear the familiar words, 'O, good, you're awake!', but not a word could she hear, not audibly, anyway. It was more like she felt it, in her innermost being; It was all around her & it flowed through her; it was almost as if it was a part of her!
Elothar was nowhere in sight. Actually, speaking of 'different', Deothora wasn't sure if what she was doing could be called 'seeing', physically speaking anyway. As a jumble of thoughts & emotions ran through her head, she finally heard that most comforting & familiar of voices. More of a firm but gentle vibration than spoken words, Deothora heard Elothar's welcome to the depth of her being, 'I AM glad to see you, dear one!' Responding, as it were, with her own vibrations, Deothora's first thought was, 'I'm glad to be seen!'
Although she couldn't help but wonder where she was now, it couldn't have felt more natural to Deothora that she was seeing without the use of her eyes & speaking without using her voice. Here she was, soaring through the clouds ( ? ),. without any exertion at all. Her dragon was nowhere to be seen, but she didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable; quite the opposite, in fact; you might say she didn't feel anything at all! There was no feeling of the wind rushing against her skin, she didn't feel the familiar strength of Elothar's giant, but gentle paw around her; it was as if she was suspended in space, but moving at lightning speed at the same time.
Deothora knew, without saying anything to Elothar, that she was not dreaming! Her previous flights of fancy had ended with her waking to the smell of bacon & eggs, but this time was different; in fact, Deothora had a sneaking suspicion that she was soaring beyond the limits of both Time & Space. 'I wonder.........', she thought & as soon as the thought began to form, her vision was opened; she could see, clear as day, the giant form of her beloved dragon, flying just below & a bit beyond her. She was visualizing Elothar just as she remembered him, wings & all, though he didn't seem to be moving a muscle either!
She felt rather than heard Elothar's gentle rumble, 'Beautiful, isn't it?' As he 'spoke', Deothora visualized the patterns that surrounded them, that enveloped them like a gentle rain. All the different galaxies & more, with their different shapes & sizes were right there, surrounding her, welcoming her to explore them. She could have sworn, almost, that they were offering her the 'keys to the city', so to speak!
Deothora had been here before; the fact of the matter was, she had been here all along, it was just that she had become so accustomed to her regular senses that it had taken a bit to realize it. Deothora was at home here & though she had been so unused to communicating in this way, the thought patterns & vibrations resonated with her; somehow it felt more natural, as if that made any sense.
Out here, where she soared without any effort, Deothora knew that she could be wherever she wished, just by wishing. The thought that she was limited by anything never occurred to her; right here, right now, all she wanted was just to BE! Deothora, through whatever means, had come to the realization that what she had previously known was but a mere shadow of what actually was. Her flight that night would be the first of many that she would experience outside the limits of Time & Space. ( I say 'night', but there is truly no 'night' there, nor 'day'; it just IS! )
Time has a habit of making us feel threatened & therefore we find it hard to enjoy ourselves to the extent that Deothora found herself. If we could simply BE, as Deothora found, we might find ourselves soaring, as she did, high above the clouds & among the galaxies, not weighed down or limited in any material sense, but unburdened by such things, to go where we have only dreamed of venturing!
To return to the limitations of Time & Space, which she had just begun to enjoy her freedom from, Deothora was quite loathe to do, but she was reminded, by a firm but gentle vibratory nudge from Elothar, that return she must, for there were still those lost in that other dimension, those who had not yet been awakened to this Glory. They thought, for this is all they knew, that this existence, glorious as it could be on its own account, was all there was; they had only dreamed, if dream they did, that greater glory awaited them after they departed this world, this life.
Deothora accepted the challenge from her friend, the dragon; she would return to the outer world where she knew she was limited to using her physical senses. Now that she was awake, though, Deothora knew that her life would never be the same. Her experience had taught her that through communication with that inner world, that other dimension, so to speak, that life, though fraught with physical limitations, could be so much more, indeed WAS so much more than she had ever dreamed possible!
The sound of birds chirping told Deothora that she had awakened from her meditational trance. Though it seemed like hours had passed, she had been in that state for no more than a minute. The old cliche', 'Time flies when you're having fun!' came to mind.As she prepared to go about her duties of the day, the words that had been almost unspoken, though she knew they had come straight from the dragon's mouth, came to her & remained; 'BE, just BE!'
Charles Haddon Shank
She was expecting to hear the familiar words, 'O, good, you're awake!', but not a word could she hear, not audibly, anyway. It was more like she felt it, in her innermost being; It was all around her & it flowed through her; it was almost as if it was a part of her!
Elothar was nowhere in sight. Actually, speaking of 'different', Deothora wasn't sure if what she was doing could be called 'seeing', physically speaking anyway. As a jumble of thoughts & emotions ran through her head, she finally heard that most comforting & familiar of voices. More of a firm but gentle vibration than spoken words, Deothora heard Elothar's welcome to the depth of her being, 'I AM glad to see you, dear one!' Responding, as it were, with her own vibrations, Deothora's first thought was, 'I'm glad to be seen!'
Although she couldn't help but wonder where she was now, it couldn't have felt more natural to Deothora that she was seeing without the use of her eyes & speaking without using her voice. Here she was, soaring through the clouds ( ? ),. without any exertion at all. Her dragon was nowhere to be seen, but she didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable; quite the opposite, in fact; you might say she didn't feel anything at all! There was no feeling of the wind rushing against her skin, she didn't feel the familiar strength of Elothar's giant, but gentle paw around her; it was as if she was suspended in space, but moving at lightning speed at the same time.
Deothora knew, without saying anything to Elothar, that she was not dreaming! Her previous flights of fancy had ended with her waking to the smell of bacon & eggs, but this time was different; in fact, Deothora had a sneaking suspicion that she was soaring beyond the limits of both Time & Space. 'I wonder.........', she thought & as soon as the thought began to form, her vision was opened; she could see, clear as day, the giant form of her beloved dragon, flying just below & a bit beyond her. She was visualizing Elothar just as she remembered him, wings & all, though he didn't seem to be moving a muscle either!
She felt rather than heard Elothar's gentle rumble, 'Beautiful, isn't it?' As he 'spoke', Deothora visualized the patterns that surrounded them, that enveloped them like a gentle rain. All the different galaxies & more, with their different shapes & sizes were right there, surrounding her, welcoming her to explore them. She could have sworn, almost, that they were offering her the 'keys to the city', so to speak!
Deothora had been here before; the fact of the matter was, she had been here all along, it was just that she had become so accustomed to her regular senses that it had taken a bit to realize it. Deothora was at home here & though she had been so unused to communicating in this way, the thought patterns & vibrations resonated with her; somehow it felt more natural, as if that made any sense.
Out here, where she soared without any effort, Deothora knew that she could be wherever she wished, just by wishing. The thought that she was limited by anything never occurred to her; right here, right now, all she wanted was just to BE! Deothora, through whatever means, had come to the realization that what she had previously known was but a mere shadow of what actually was. Her flight that night would be the first of many that she would experience outside the limits of Time & Space. ( I say 'night', but there is truly no 'night' there, nor 'day'; it just IS! )
Time has a habit of making us feel threatened & therefore we find it hard to enjoy ourselves to the extent that Deothora found herself. If we could simply BE, as Deothora found, we might find ourselves soaring, as she did, high above the clouds & among the galaxies, not weighed down or limited in any material sense, but unburdened by such things, to go where we have only dreamed of venturing!
To return to the limitations of Time & Space, which she had just begun to enjoy her freedom from, Deothora was quite loathe to do, but she was reminded, by a firm but gentle vibratory nudge from Elothar, that return she must, for there were still those lost in that other dimension, those who had not yet been awakened to this Glory. They thought, for this is all they knew, that this existence, glorious as it could be on its own account, was all there was; they had only dreamed, if dream they did, that greater glory awaited them after they departed this world, this life.
Deothora accepted the challenge from her friend, the dragon; she would return to the outer world where she knew she was limited to using her physical senses. Now that she was awake, though, Deothora knew that her life would never be the same. Her experience had taught her that through communication with that inner world, that other dimension, so to speak, that life, though fraught with physical limitations, could be so much more, indeed WAS so much more than she had ever dreamed possible!
The sound of birds chirping told Deothora that she had awakened from her meditational trance. Though it seemed like hours had passed, she had been in that state for no more than a minute. The old cliche', 'Time flies when you're having fun!' came to mind.As she prepared to go about her duties of the day, the words that had been almost unspoken, though she knew they had come straight from the dragon's mouth, came to her & remained; 'BE, just BE!'
Charles Haddon Shank
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Resistance to Realization
What if we could simply decide to do something & then just do it?
The old cliche' goes something like this; 'the Bible says it & I believe it!' Well, if we are to believe the Bible, Jesus strongly implied, several times, that we have a Power Within ( John 14:23 ) that nothing is impossible for, so why aren't we doing greater things than Jesus, why are we not able to literally move mountains? 'Well', most would say, 'as to the latter, Jesus was using a figure of speech here, telling His disciples that they would be able to overcome any obstacle, with the right amount of faith. In fact, one would likely hear much the same explanation from most any modern ( American ) Christian. Others, including this blogger, attribute the words of Jesus here, to comforting His first-century disciples with the fact that they, through faith in Him, would be able to remove the Jewish economy, the Temple, specifically, which was an 'adversary' to them. Whatever the case may be, whether Jesus was simply instructing His first-century disciples on how to overcome their Adversary, or voicing a universal truth about how to overcome obstacles, we can certainly attest to the fact that the Jewish economy is no longer in force & we CAN ( metaphorically ) move mountains through faith!
One might pause to wonder, 'how will we accomplish greater things than even Jesus?' This is a daunting proposition, to be sure! We can speculate on what Jesus meant by these words, but there it is, in black & white. The argument might well be made here, that Jesus healed the sick, caused the blind to see, the lame to walk & even raised the dead; 'how does He expect us to top that? DOES He expect us to top that?! 'Well', it might be said, 'His words there, as in the previous quotation, were metaphorical'. In that sense, we might agree; metaphorically speaking, we HAVE raised the 'dead', caused the 'blind' to see, the 'lame' to walk & we DO heal the 'sick'. In a purely biological sense as well, Science & Technology have enabled us to literally bring people back to life, to bring sight to blind eyes, to make the lame walk again & doctors have learned to heal an amazing number of different diseases. But, Jesus said that we would do 'greater works'!
Like the Pharisees of Jesus' day, our problem lies rooted in the fact that, for whatever reason & to whatever extent, we do not believe we are capable of such feats as He was able to accomplish. We have been so conditioned that we are what we eat, in other words, that we are so limited by this biology that nothing but the Power of God could ever do such things, even through our weak humanity. The truth of such a stance is self-evident, or so it would seem! We tend to think of ourselves as weak humanity, but it is only weak humanity that clothes us; our true selves, our True Being, is Pure Spirit, just like our Heavenly Father!
'Like Father, like Son'; so they say. Is this not what Jesus meant when He said that we would do 'greater works'? While this may be going a bit far, is it outside the realm of possibility, then, since, as Scripture says, 'All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made' ( John 1:3 ), that we might even be, or have been already, involved in the creation/formation of material things, the stuff that dreams are made of? That may be a bit much to swallow, but even if one denies that, cannot we see that we create our own 'world'? Through our personal decisions, or choices, we shape our own destiny, as well as having a greater or lesser effect on the world around us!
We do what we know! It is easy to say, 'I believe................', but unless we have that gut-feeling that we know it's true, we don't usually act on it. Many there are who claim to believe in a certain manner, yet act in contradiction to their stated belief when their mettle is tested. On the other hand, there are those who consistently manifest their stated beliefs. This is not always a good thing!
In his famous diatribe against those that say they have faith, the mere believer; the apostle James, Jesus' own brother, said, 'faith without works is dead' ( James 2:26 ). A blind faith, a faith which is not based in knowledge, which leads to action, is worthless! True Faith, on the other hand, is more than belief, for as James also said, 'Even the demons believe—and tremble' ( James 2:19 ); Faith is trust & what man, woman or child among us trusts what they do not know in the heart to be true? ( Wait, don't answer that! )
The Pharisees & thus many of the Jews of Jesus' day rejected Him as their Messiah because they could not wrap their tiny minds around the fact that Man could embody God. Jesus also tread on many of their false notions about the nature of things, but the main reason that they called for His death was that He, a mere Man, as they chose to see Him, claimed to be One with the Creator. In His humanity, Jesus was no stronger than you or I; it was through the Spirit Within, the same Spirit that resides in us, that in fact IS us, that He was able to overcome the pain & suffering of the cross & thus, death itself!
It is when we ourselves try to wrap our own tiny minds around the glorious fact that Jesus said we would do 'greater works' that we get into the same sort of trouble the Pharisees did. The mind, being the seat of the ego, tries to make sense of things from a purely human perspective, as did the Pharisees, yet we must remember that our humanity is simply our clothing; we are, as the saying goes, 'spirit beings having a human experience'. It is when we realize this that we are able to accomplish those 'greater works'. The blind will see again, the deaf will hear & the dead will live again; even better they will retain such high vibrations in their own biology that even that will defy the ravages of Time!
Realizing that we are Life itself helps us to manifest in our biology that which we know to be True! The knowledge that it is our beliefs that divide us should drive us to live beyond those beliefs, to see that, despite our differences, in color or creed, we are all of One; it is the same Spirit that drives us all!
An immediate objection will be, in other words, maybe, 'but what about those who do not/have not realized this?' People like Pol Pot, Hitler, etc. & groups of fanatical terrorists like ISIS come to mind here. 'What about them?' Remember that Jesus told His disciples, in that first century context, 'do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul' ( Matthew 10:28a ) Those in the past who have committed atrocities such as genocide, other forms off mass murder & those who continue to advance terrorism today can only kill the biological bodies that house our true selves, they can never harm us, unless we allow them to!
The knowledge that we can indeed 'move mountains', whether metaphorically or literally, should tell us something. Since it is the Spirit Within that drives us, we should know that it is the same which enables us to overcome those obstacles! Whatever physical strength we might possess in this relatively weak biological body, it is only our determination which pushes us past all others; any good & honest athlete will tell you that. The Works that we do, the things that we accomplish in this biology, in other words, are the manifestation of what we endeavor in the Spirit; our Inner World fashions our Outer World!
Charles Haddon Shank
'Assuredly,
I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this
mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will
be impossible for you'.
Jesus-Matthew 17:20
'Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask[c] anything in My name, I will do [ it ].'
Jesus-John 14:12-14
The old cliche' goes something like this; 'the Bible says it & I believe it!' Well, if we are to believe the Bible, Jesus strongly implied, several times, that we have a Power Within ( John 14:23 ) that nothing is impossible for, so why aren't we doing greater things than Jesus, why are we not able to literally move mountains? 'Well', most would say, 'as to the latter, Jesus was using a figure of speech here, telling His disciples that they would be able to overcome any obstacle, with the right amount of faith. In fact, one would likely hear much the same explanation from most any modern ( American ) Christian. Others, including this blogger, attribute the words of Jesus here, to comforting His first-century disciples with the fact that they, through faith in Him, would be able to remove the Jewish economy, the Temple, specifically, which was an 'adversary' to them. Whatever the case may be, whether Jesus was simply instructing His first-century disciples on how to overcome their Adversary, or voicing a universal truth about how to overcome obstacles, we can certainly attest to the fact that the Jewish economy is no longer in force & we CAN ( metaphorically ) move mountains through faith!
One might pause to wonder, 'how will we accomplish greater things than even Jesus?' This is a daunting proposition, to be sure! We can speculate on what Jesus meant by these words, but there it is, in black & white. The argument might well be made here, that Jesus healed the sick, caused the blind to see, the lame to walk & even raised the dead; 'how does He expect us to top that? DOES He expect us to top that?! 'Well', it might be said, 'His words there, as in the previous quotation, were metaphorical'. In that sense, we might agree; metaphorically speaking, we HAVE raised the 'dead', caused the 'blind' to see, the 'lame' to walk & we DO heal the 'sick'. In a purely biological sense as well, Science & Technology have enabled us to literally bring people back to life, to bring sight to blind eyes, to make the lame walk again & doctors have learned to heal an amazing number of different diseases. But, Jesus said that we would do 'greater works'!
Like the Pharisees of Jesus' day, our problem lies rooted in the fact that, for whatever reason & to whatever extent, we do not believe we are capable of such feats as He was able to accomplish. We have been so conditioned that we are what we eat, in other words, that we are so limited by this biology that nothing but the Power of God could ever do such things, even through our weak humanity. The truth of such a stance is self-evident, or so it would seem! We tend to think of ourselves as weak humanity, but it is only weak humanity that clothes us; our true selves, our True Being, is Pure Spirit, just like our Heavenly Father!
'Like Father, like Son'; so they say. Is this not what Jesus meant when He said that we would do 'greater works'? While this may be going a bit far, is it outside the realm of possibility, then, since, as Scripture says, 'All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made' ( John 1:3 ), that we might even be, or have been already, involved in the creation/formation of material things, the stuff that dreams are made of? That may be a bit much to swallow, but even if one denies that, cannot we see that we create our own 'world'? Through our personal decisions, or choices, we shape our own destiny, as well as having a greater or lesser effect on the world around us!
We do what we know! It is easy to say, 'I believe................', but unless we have that gut-feeling that we know it's true, we don't usually act on it. Many there are who claim to believe in a certain manner, yet act in contradiction to their stated belief when their mettle is tested. On the other hand, there are those who consistently manifest their stated beliefs. This is not always a good thing!
In his famous diatribe against those that say they have faith, the mere believer; the apostle James, Jesus' own brother, said, 'faith without works is dead' ( James 2:26 ). A blind faith, a faith which is not based in knowledge, which leads to action, is worthless! True Faith, on the other hand, is more than belief, for as James also said, 'Even the demons believe—and tremble' ( James 2:19 ); Faith is trust & what man, woman or child among us trusts what they do not know in the heart to be true? ( Wait, don't answer that! )
The Pharisees & thus many of the Jews of Jesus' day rejected Him as their Messiah because they could not wrap their tiny minds around the fact that Man could embody God. Jesus also tread on many of their false notions about the nature of things, but the main reason that they called for His death was that He, a mere Man, as they chose to see Him, claimed to be One with the Creator. In His humanity, Jesus was no stronger than you or I; it was through the Spirit Within, the same Spirit that resides in us, that in fact IS us, that He was able to overcome the pain & suffering of the cross & thus, death itself!
It is when we ourselves try to wrap our own tiny minds around the glorious fact that Jesus said we would do 'greater works' that we get into the same sort of trouble the Pharisees did. The mind, being the seat of the ego, tries to make sense of things from a purely human perspective, as did the Pharisees, yet we must remember that our humanity is simply our clothing; we are, as the saying goes, 'spirit beings having a human experience'. It is when we realize this that we are able to accomplish those 'greater works'. The blind will see again, the deaf will hear & the dead will live again; even better they will retain such high vibrations in their own biology that even that will defy the ravages of Time!
Realizing that we are Life itself helps us to manifest in our biology that which we know to be True! The knowledge that it is our beliefs that divide us should drive us to live beyond those beliefs, to see that, despite our differences, in color or creed, we are all of One; it is the same Spirit that drives us all!
An immediate objection will be, in other words, maybe, 'but what about those who do not/have not realized this?' People like Pol Pot, Hitler, etc. & groups of fanatical terrorists like ISIS come to mind here. 'What about them?' Remember that Jesus told His disciples, in that first century context, 'do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul' ( Matthew 10:28a ) Those in the past who have committed atrocities such as genocide, other forms off mass murder & those who continue to advance terrorism today can only kill the biological bodies that house our true selves, they can never harm us, unless we allow them to!
The knowledge that we can indeed 'move mountains', whether metaphorically or literally, should tell us something. Since it is the Spirit Within that drives us, we should know that it is the same which enables us to overcome those obstacles! Whatever physical strength we might possess in this relatively weak biological body, it is only our determination which pushes us past all others; any good & honest athlete will tell you that. The Works that we do, the things that we accomplish in this biology, in other words, are the manifestation of what we endeavor in the Spirit; our Inner World fashions our Outer World!
Charles Haddon Shank
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
'Physician, Heal Yourself': Harnessing the Power of the Brain
The Possibilities
I want to be clear from the outset; by saying that we are One with the Creator, or even that we are the physical manifestation of the Creator, I am by no means saying that we ARE the Creator! We ARE, however, in our own right, what might be termed 'mini-creators', that is, creators on a much smaller scale. Intelligent Design, which I admittedly have not studied much, seems to have gained in popularity in the past few decades, at least. The idea, the fact really, that a Supremely Intelligent Being put in motion the Universe & all it contains is so far ( infinitely so ) beyond question that it's quite ridiculous to even postulate that the beauty of the heavens & the Music of the Spheres could have just happened, by chance, as it were!
Well before He was crucified, according to Scripture, Jesus prophesied to the Pharisees, 'You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself!' ( Luke 4:23 ) Alluding here to His crowning achievement several years later, where the same Jews would say to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross' ( Matthew 27:40 ), Jesus, as the Son of God indeed, knew that day was coming, when He would be tested beyond all human ability. It is without doubt that Jesus could easily have come down from the cross that glorious but fateful day & thumbed His nose in their faces, so to speak, but we know that wasn't His Purpose!
Science & Technology have allowed us to learn far more about the human body, down to the atomic level even, than what had heretofore been known. The human brain, in particular, has been under the most intense scrutiny & scientists are discovering, to some extent, just how powerful it really is! With all their knowledge & research, though, we can safely say that even they cannot say with any precision, just what the human brain is capable of. Movies like 'Lucy' portray fantastical notions, almost purely based on Darwinian Evolution, that, with the right stimulation, the human brain & thus the human body, is capable of super-human, even super-natural feats. Such notions obviously have much appeal & are a lot of fun to speculate about, but they seem so fantastical to us in our limited understanding & the brainwashing we have suffered under for ages, that most will simply write them off as pure fantasy & after the movie is over, retreat back to the relative safety & comfort of their chosen prison!
What if we were able to transcend mere humanity & do things that, for the past ages have been looked upon as supernatural & even condemned as occult? Could we make such choices as halting the aging process? Is it possible that we could have such complete control, not just over our own bodies, but over the bodies of others around us & even matter itself? The possibilities seem almost infinite when one thinks about it! What would YOU do with that kind of Power? Would you selfishly use it to advance yourself into the upper echelons of the business world, to better yourself with secret knowledge so you could leverage others & control them to whatever personal advantage you chose? Or would you rather choose to share that Power with those around you, so they might better themselves & their world? Being that it is more blessed to give than receive, the obvious choice would be to share this Knowledge & Power so that ALL might be able to employ it, not just for their own betterment, but for that of the world around them. If this were to happen on a global level, just imagine the possibilities!
The human brain, as one might observe, is the physical manifestation of the Spirit Within. Being of the same Essence with our Creator, as has been postulated; why should the physical manifestation of that Spirit not be able to accomplish such things as we have heretofore only dreamed about? Jesus told His Disciples that they would do greater things than even He did, so why do we have such a hard time understanding, realizing really, that we have that Power? Much of the reason we find it so difficult to accept this glorious reality is our religious conditioning. We have been taught, from early on, that we are so limited by this biology ( true to some extent ) that only through some supernatural agency can we ever hope to attain the Promised Perfection. We have learned to look Without ourselves for the Hope of Glory, when it is Within that our Salvation Rests!
With such Strength at His command, as we have witnessed to previously, Jesus could have easily removed Himself from that embarrassing situation & made mincemeat of His detractors, but as we have also borne witness to, He chose instead, unselfishly, to fulfill the Purpose for which He came. That Purpose, of course, was to show Man that He had been endowed with the same Essence, that He could transcend His humanity & this biology, to do what Jesus had done &; greater things, for the betterment of humanity.
Can we heal ourselves? Is it possible to reverse the effects that ages of personal abuse & religious indoctrination have placed upon us, to break free of these shackles? It is more than possible; it has been done! Jesus was by far, not even Scripturally, the first to deny these limitations & He won't be the Last. Much of what has been condemned as heretical & occult, down through the ages, has simply been the physical manifestation of such esoteric knowledge.This knowledge has been denied, often through any means necessary, to humanity, for so long that the majority has weakly & meekly accepted these limitations as a matter of fact!
The glorious way that our biology is designed mirrors the very Universe itself! Now that Science & Technology believe they have satisfactorily mapped the human genome ( etc.), they have turned their focus to the Universe. As if the human body & the rest of biology, for that matter, weren't enough to convince them of Intelligent Design, scientists, in places like SCERN, in Switzerland, have spent millions, even billions or trillions of dollars to try to prove that the beauty that surrounds us could have just 'happened'. They think they have found this 'proof' & thus 'rest' in the false security that man simply evolved from..............nothing!?
The building blocks, both of this biology & the Universe have been found to be, at the atomic level, the same material. The Music of the Spheres, like the arrangement of this biology, is orchestrated so that it plays out with such natural perfection that many scientists have found it supremely difficult to deny its Intelligent Design! Being of the same Essence, as we have noted previously, with that Supreme Intelligence, does it not resonate within every beating heart, that we are destined for greatness? That we have come to the Kingdom for such a Time as this?!
May it BE!
Charles Haddon Shank
I want to be clear from the outset; by saying that we are One with the Creator, or even that we are the physical manifestation of the Creator, I am by no means saying that we ARE the Creator! We ARE, however, in our own right, what might be termed 'mini-creators', that is, creators on a much smaller scale. Intelligent Design, which I admittedly have not studied much, seems to have gained in popularity in the past few decades, at least. The idea, the fact really, that a Supremely Intelligent Being put in motion the Universe & all it contains is so far ( infinitely so ) beyond question that it's quite ridiculous to even postulate that the beauty of the heavens & the Music of the Spheres could have just happened, by chance, as it were!
Well before He was crucified, according to Scripture, Jesus prophesied to the Pharisees, 'You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself!' ( Luke 4:23 ) Alluding here to His crowning achievement several years later, where the same Jews would say to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross' ( Matthew 27:40 ), Jesus, as the Son of God indeed, knew that day was coming, when He would be tested beyond all human ability. It is without doubt that Jesus could easily have come down from the cross that glorious but fateful day & thumbed His nose in their faces, so to speak, but we know that wasn't His Purpose!
Science & Technology have allowed us to learn far more about the human body, down to the atomic level even, than what had heretofore been known. The human brain, in particular, has been under the most intense scrutiny & scientists are discovering, to some extent, just how powerful it really is! With all their knowledge & research, though, we can safely say that even they cannot say with any precision, just what the human brain is capable of. Movies like 'Lucy' portray fantastical notions, almost purely based on Darwinian Evolution, that, with the right stimulation, the human brain & thus the human body, is capable of super-human, even super-natural feats. Such notions obviously have much appeal & are a lot of fun to speculate about, but they seem so fantastical to us in our limited understanding & the brainwashing we have suffered under for ages, that most will simply write them off as pure fantasy & after the movie is over, retreat back to the relative safety & comfort of their chosen prison!
What if we were able to transcend mere humanity & do things that, for the past ages have been looked upon as supernatural & even condemned as occult? Could we make such choices as halting the aging process? Is it possible that we could have such complete control, not just over our own bodies, but over the bodies of others around us & even matter itself? The possibilities seem almost infinite when one thinks about it! What would YOU do with that kind of Power? Would you selfishly use it to advance yourself into the upper echelons of the business world, to better yourself with secret knowledge so you could leverage others & control them to whatever personal advantage you chose? Or would you rather choose to share that Power with those around you, so they might better themselves & their world? Being that it is more blessed to give than receive, the obvious choice would be to share this Knowledge & Power so that ALL might be able to employ it, not just for their own betterment, but for that of the world around them. If this were to happen on a global level, just imagine the possibilities!
The human brain, as one might observe, is the physical manifestation of the Spirit Within. Being of the same Essence with our Creator, as has been postulated; why should the physical manifestation of that Spirit not be able to accomplish such things as we have heretofore only dreamed about? Jesus told His Disciples that they would do greater things than even He did, so why do we have such a hard time understanding, realizing really, that we have that Power? Much of the reason we find it so difficult to accept this glorious reality is our religious conditioning. We have been taught, from early on, that we are so limited by this biology ( true to some extent ) that only through some supernatural agency can we ever hope to attain the Promised Perfection. We have learned to look Without ourselves for the Hope of Glory, when it is Within that our Salvation Rests!
With such Strength at His command, as we have witnessed to previously, Jesus could have easily removed Himself from that embarrassing situation & made mincemeat of His detractors, but as we have also borne witness to, He chose instead, unselfishly, to fulfill the Purpose for which He came. That Purpose, of course, was to show Man that He had been endowed with the same Essence, that He could transcend His humanity & this biology, to do what Jesus had done &; greater things, for the betterment of humanity.
Can we heal ourselves? Is it possible to reverse the effects that ages of personal abuse & religious indoctrination have placed upon us, to break free of these shackles? It is more than possible; it has been done! Jesus was by far, not even Scripturally, the first to deny these limitations & He won't be the Last. Much of what has been condemned as heretical & occult, down through the ages, has simply been the physical manifestation of such esoteric knowledge.This knowledge has been denied, often through any means necessary, to humanity, for so long that the majority has weakly & meekly accepted these limitations as a matter of fact!
The glorious way that our biology is designed mirrors the very Universe itself! Now that Science & Technology believe they have satisfactorily mapped the human genome ( etc.), they have turned their focus to the Universe. As if the human body & the rest of biology, for that matter, weren't enough to convince them of Intelligent Design, scientists, in places like SCERN, in Switzerland, have spent millions, even billions or trillions of dollars to try to prove that the beauty that surrounds us could have just 'happened'. They think they have found this 'proof' & thus 'rest' in the false security that man simply evolved from..............nothing!?
The building blocks, both of this biology & the Universe have been found to be, at the atomic level, the same material. The Music of the Spheres, like the arrangement of this biology, is orchestrated so that it plays out with such natural perfection that many scientists have found it supremely difficult to deny its Intelligent Design! Being of the same Essence, as we have noted previously, with that Supreme Intelligence, does it not resonate within every beating heart, that we are destined for greatness? That we have come to the Kingdom for such a Time as this?!
May it BE!
Charles Haddon Shank
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
The Kingdom
Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
Luke 17:20 & 21
The apostle Paul wrote, to the Church at Rome, 'Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.' ( Romans 14:17 ) Whether you believe the Scriptures or not, there is much there that speaks to the heart, reminding us that it is within that we must look for the Divine. We are, each & every one of us, according to these same Scriptures, made in the Image of the Creator God. Covenantally speaking, Christianity tells us that, in order to rightly bear this Image, however, one must first accept ( believe in ) Jesus as the Messiah of Israel. Whatever the case may be & to whatever extent, every human being in existence today bears that Image, no matter how well hidden!
The question might well be asked here, 'What IS the Image of God? In the past & as it still continues to be, this has been a matter of some controversy. Some have postulated that it signifies Covenant Life, as above, while others call it the Divine Spark, testifying that it dwells within each of us, even the worst sinner. This blogger, throughout his own journey of discovery, has even theorized about the matter, interpreting this enigmatic phrase as meaning that it was the fact that Adam was given the dominion over the rest of the creation which comprised the Divine Image. This is, for all intents & purposes, a Scriptural interpretation, although it, as well as the apostle's explanation in Romans, simply & plainly says what this Image accomplishes in us, how we act because of its indwelling Power!
Being that this post was meant to be about the Kingdom Within, one might be wondering why the Divine Image has been at the heart of this post, thus far! That's a good question & one that is more far-reaching than one might think; 'if the Image of God is not present, could one inhabit the Kingdom?' On the other hand, 'if all have the Divine Image, do not all inhabit the Kingdom?' 'What IS the Kingdom?' We can speculate that this Kingdom, that which Jesus said is 'within you' is a different dimension, one in which the Creator God dwells, or one might simply say, with the apostle Paul, above, that it is 'righteousness and peace and joy'. This explanation actually fits very nicely with Jesus' words throughout His ministry, describing it as anything from 'leaven' ( Matthew 13:33 ) to someplace where the saints, those following Jesus, would 'sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob' ( Matthew 8:11 ). In other words, the Kingdom of God, or Heaven was not something one needs to look for outside him or herself, but rather is evidenced by an outward manifestation, peace that only comes from from the heart, or innermost being!
In many places throughout the Greek Scriptures, Jesus spoke of this Kingdom as something they would 'enter' ( Matthew 19:23 & 24, 21:31 ) & preached the nearness of it ( Matthew 12:28, Mark 1:15, et al ), but it is also spoken of on a more esoteric level, as something that would be manifested through the outward actions of its inhabitants! When Jesus told the Pharisees that the Kingdom was within them, one might immediately object & rightly so, that because they rejected Jesus as their Messiah, they ultimately did not inherit the Kingdom. In this enigmatic passage, though, while Jesus was alluding to their covenant status as the Israel of God, He was clearly proclaiming that the Kingdom was not something that would 'come', at least, not like they were expecting, but that it would be manifest from the heart, with deeds of righteousness goodness, mercy & peace!
The Kingdom, then, is really the manifestation of the Peace Within, the understanding that the Divine indwells us; as Jesus said ( Matthew 10:28a ), 'do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul'. This biology may perish, being mortal & prone to death, but our inmost being, our spirit, is immortal, being of One Essence with the Creator, Giver & Sustainer of all Life. This is where Peace, the Peace that passes all understanding, comes in; the startling realization that no other can harm us should give us pause. If none can harm us, who are the very Image of the Creator God, then should not that allay any fear & allow us to manifest only Love? Scripture says that 'God is love' ( I John 4:8 ); since, then, we are made in the Divine Image, does it not follow that WE are Love?
The Divine Image may rightly be noted, then, as dwelling in all, though all have not realized this capacity. It is through our manifestation of the Kingdom Within that those who have not yet realized, for whatever reason, their true potential will come to the understanding of what it truly means to partake in the Divine. Love, not fear, will be the order of the day, because as the Kingdom expands its borders, through us & those who receive our vibrations, so will the realization that Peace & Love Reign supreme! Fear will no longer be a factor, for as the Scriptures also say ( I John 4:18 ), 'perfect love casts out fear'. The writer went on to explain, in the context of his writing, that fear comes from torment, such as they were experiencing in their mortal ( biological ) bodies at the time.
If we would learn not to fear what things may come, in time & place, upon these mortal bodies, then would we be more apt to manifest the Kingdom Within, through the Love that is perfected in us. As we, ourselves learn not to fear, but manifest that Perfect Love, it will flow out through our fingertips to touch the world around us. Realizing that we may not always, with these eyes, see the intended results, we may rest secure, knowing that Love is the Way!
Charles Haddon Shank
Thursday, March 16, 2017
Destiny's Child
With her last breath, Destiny gave one final push! Depleted of its natural resources, the body that she had become accustomed to was finally shutting down, although she had somehow found the strength to carry this new one until it was ready to breathe life into the cold, dark world that she called home. The life that she had lived, up until about a year ago, anyway, was one that would seem all-too familiar to many of us; the busy schedules, the stress & the quick, easy meals ( usually fast-food or out-of-the-box ) had taken their toll on Destiny's body, already well-worn by the passage of Time!
Life, in this day & age especially, was not easy! Destiny had, by her own choice, moved half-way across the country at a fairly early age & so, had been forced to face many hardships & trials on her own. Oh, she had made some friends along the way, but too many of them were fair-weather friends, so when those trials & hardships set in, those 'friends' that Destiny had hoped to be able to count on were not to be found! When she seemed to be on her last legs, so to speak & was looking up at life from the bottom of an oak barrel, her knight in shining armor had appeared & as she was going under for the last time, gently grasped her hand & pulled her back from the verge of the abyss, setting her back on her feet & granting her a new lease on life.
For maybe the first time in her short life, Destiny finally felt happy! She had been so used to relying on herself that when Chris came along, it was like a breath of fresh air; she had purpose again, thanks in part to him. When Destiny found out that she was pregnant, she was hesitant, at first, fearing that this might spoil the happiness she had so recently found. Finally gathering the courage to tell Chris, she was pleasantly surprised when Chris responded in a positive way, joyously telling her that he had been looking forward to the day when he might father a child. With such a response, Destiny was supremely happy! Having waited a lifetime for such a divine purpose, Destiny felt accomplished & what's more, she looked forward to the time when she would hold this new life in her arms & nurture it in such a way that the child might enjoy a better existence than she had, at least, up till this point.
Chris was a police officer; that's how he had found her: she had taken refuge in the bottom of a bottle & he had gently pulled her from its grasp & carried her out from its cold comfort to a more sure foundation. He showed her a better way, that it was within that we must seek our way, our purpose, even our own happiness! Destiny had lived her life, up to this point, with the understanding, the belief, that we must look outside ourselves for salvation from the hardships & trials of life, or even for our happiness. Chris ( short for Christopher ) had made her realize that, though he made her happy, it was her own choices that had kept her from this bliss for so long!
With a child on the way, Destiny began to see that the life she had led before her knight in shining armor, her salvation, had come along, was not the best one she could have chosen. She had gone the way of the world, getting caught up in the business of life in this day & age, swallowing the American Dream, hook, line & sinker. Too late now, one might say, realizing the toll her former choices had taken on her body, Destiny began to pursue a more healthy avenue. She began eating better, taking time to care, not only for her own body, but for the new one she was growing inside! Thanks to her husband, her protector, she was able to leave the rat race & focus her time & energy on caring for the new life she had been granted.
Destiny's life seemed to finally be on the right track; she had been restored to love, she was finally happy
& carrying within her own body a new life, with the promise of a fresh existence, free of many of the hardships & trials that she had experienced in her own relatively short existence. However, it seemed like the bottom had dropped out when the startling & most unwelcome news came one day; she would have to persevere on her own once more! It seemed like Life had taken one of those twisted turns & she was alone again!
Once she had gotten over the initial shock, Destiny, bolstered by the promise of a new life & a fresh start, determined to uphold the child growing within. She shouldered her responsibility, her love for this new life & with the comforting realization, thanks to her protector, that true happiness comes from within, Destiny made the choice to, if need be, give up her own life in this plane of existence that the child within might have the chance to better experience this blessed existence we call Life!
_________________________________________________________________________________
Opening her eyes for the first time, Sarah experienced a sudden rush of deja vu, as if somehow, she had been here before! Although she was not quite certain if she was ready to leave the comfort of her warm & cozy shell, she nonetheless welcomed this new, though familiar experience. Already aware of her surroundings, she startled those who had helped deliver her from her mother's womb, by gazing, almost surprisingly alert, at her surroundings, barely uttering a sound, as she seemed to calmly take it all in!
Charles Haddon Shank
Life, in this day & age especially, was not easy! Destiny had, by her own choice, moved half-way across the country at a fairly early age & so, had been forced to face many hardships & trials on her own. Oh, she had made some friends along the way, but too many of them were fair-weather friends, so when those trials & hardships set in, those 'friends' that Destiny had hoped to be able to count on were not to be found! When she seemed to be on her last legs, so to speak & was looking up at life from the bottom of an oak barrel, her knight in shining armor had appeared & as she was going under for the last time, gently grasped her hand & pulled her back from the verge of the abyss, setting her back on her feet & granting her a new lease on life.
For maybe the first time in her short life, Destiny finally felt happy! She had been so used to relying on herself that when Chris came along, it was like a breath of fresh air; she had purpose again, thanks in part to him. When Destiny found out that she was pregnant, she was hesitant, at first, fearing that this might spoil the happiness she had so recently found. Finally gathering the courage to tell Chris, she was pleasantly surprised when Chris responded in a positive way, joyously telling her that he had been looking forward to the day when he might father a child. With such a response, Destiny was supremely happy! Having waited a lifetime for such a divine purpose, Destiny felt accomplished & what's more, she looked forward to the time when she would hold this new life in her arms & nurture it in such a way that the child might enjoy a better existence than she had, at least, up till this point.
Chris was a police officer; that's how he had found her: she had taken refuge in the bottom of a bottle & he had gently pulled her from its grasp & carried her out from its cold comfort to a more sure foundation. He showed her a better way, that it was within that we must seek our way, our purpose, even our own happiness! Destiny had lived her life, up to this point, with the understanding, the belief, that we must look outside ourselves for salvation from the hardships & trials of life, or even for our happiness. Chris ( short for Christopher ) had made her realize that, though he made her happy, it was her own choices that had kept her from this bliss for so long!
With a child on the way, Destiny began to see that the life she had led before her knight in shining armor, her salvation, had come along, was not the best one she could have chosen. She had gone the way of the world, getting caught up in the business of life in this day & age, swallowing the American Dream, hook, line & sinker. Too late now, one might say, realizing the toll her former choices had taken on her body, Destiny began to pursue a more healthy avenue. She began eating better, taking time to care, not only for her own body, but for the new one she was growing inside! Thanks to her husband, her protector, she was able to leave the rat race & focus her time & energy on caring for the new life she had been granted.
Destiny's life seemed to finally be on the right track; she had been restored to love, she was finally happy
& carrying within her own body a new life, with the promise of a fresh existence, free of many of the hardships & trials that she had experienced in her own relatively short existence. However, it seemed like the bottom had dropped out when the startling & most unwelcome news came one day; she would have to persevere on her own once more! It seemed like Life had taken one of those twisted turns & she was alone again!
Once she had gotten over the initial shock, Destiny, bolstered by the promise of a new life & a fresh start, determined to uphold the child growing within. She shouldered her responsibility, her love for this new life & with the comforting realization, thanks to her protector, that true happiness comes from within, Destiny made the choice to, if need be, give up her own life in this plane of existence that the child within might have the chance to better experience this blessed existence we call Life!
_________________________________________________________________________________
Opening her eyes for the first time, Sarah experienced a sudden rush of deja vu, as if somehow, she had been here before! Although she was not quite certain if she was ready to leave the comfort of her warm & cozy shell, she nonetheless welcomed this new, though familiar experience. Already aware of her surroundings, she startled those who had helped deliver her from her mother's womb, by gazing, almost surprisingly alert, at her surroundings, barely uttering a sound, as she seemed to calmly take it all in!
Charles Haddon Shank
Tuesday, March 07, 2017
Energy Sharing
'Knowledge is Power'!
Most recently in this country, politically speaking anyway, we have witnessed what is often termed, 'the transfer of power'. While it is very arguable that the so-called 'leader of the free world' ( POTUS ) is simply a figure-head, a 'puppet' even & that the powers that be never really were transferred, but simply changed their 'face', to give the people of thinations the illusion of 'choice', the 'transfer' seems to be going fairly smoothly, despite the childish bickering about the price of tea in China ( or is that Russia? ). It remains to be seen, one might observe, whether any 'good' will come of this new figurehead, or whether 'we, the people' will be subjected to more of the same: this blogger reluctantly predicts more on the order of the latter!
The simple definition of 'power' is 'the ability to do something or act in a particular way, especially as a faculty or quality; for instance, "the power of speech". A secondary definition should give us pause, though; 'the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events; for instance,
"the idea that men should have power over women." The notion that one should have power ( in this way ) over another is not foreign to humanity; the history of humanity, from its very genesis, has been an exercise in this pursuit! Biblically speaking, the 'serpent' in the Garden ( Genesis 3 ) used this power to his own advantage: Cain used his power over his brother by murdering him & the list goes on & on.
There can be no question that all of humanity has this power, not only to direct the course of their own lives, but to directly or indirectly influence the lives & choices of others. In some sense, there is nothing wrong with this talent, or ability, for it is naturally given by the Creator, but too often, especially for those in an unnatural relationship with their Creator, this power is used in a selfish way, to meet their own agenda, to satisfy their own lusts, without empathy, or care for how it might affect others. For ages, human beings have striven to assert this power over others, usually without stopping to consider if they should!
The Energy of which we are all composed, both what we call 'good' & 'bad', or Yin & Yang, if you will, is that which gives us this power! As always, though, we are faced with a choice when it comes to using this power, or expressing this energy. Many, as we can all bear witness to, use their energy in vain pursuits, exhausting themselves in the process & emptying themselves of their natural empathy & seeking their own pleasure, begin instead to use their power in a wrongful, even hurtful way, influencing others to fulfill their own lusts!
Not all who so misuse the Energy given them by the Creator do so in a purposefully evil, or hurtful way; most are ignorant of the fact that this behavior is unnatural! Human beings, to a large extent & for whatever reason, seem to have missed the forest for the trees. We have largely forgotten what our true nature is & rather than focusing on the Love, or good Energy, that surrounds us, we allow ourselves to be driven by Fear, or what might be called the 'bad', or negative Energy!
Many have chosen to throw off the yoke of bondage, not only from their own hearts, but from the hearts those with whom they have to do! By recovering their natural empathy, they have discovered that they themselves, as purveyors of the Divine Energy, have the power to change lives, not by using that power to subjugate & control, but by influencing others, through the Spirit Within, to choose for themselves what is good & right. Realizing our true nature & that we were all created with the same Energy, it becomes apparent to us that we are all in the same boat, all trying to do what seems best for us & for our loved ones. The choices we then make are tendered, not just with a thought for our own good, but with a mind for the betterment of all humanity!
Power, like the Energy that drives it, is never transferred, it is simply shared, or spread! One may give 'the reins of power', so to speak, over to another & many have ignorantly done this, not realizing their own power, but even though it seems like they have relinquished their power, the power remains in their own hands, to direct their lives as they will! Fear has driven many to the brink of despair, or at least held them in ignorance, thinking that their own power has transferred to another, whether for good or ill & that they have no choice but to blindly obey ( subjugation ), or face the consequences!
Those that know, have used this knowledge to begin a work, first, in themselves, then in the 'world' around them. They have the Power, through the Spirit Within, the Energy that drives us all, to change the course of events! 'The powers that be', those behind the figureheads of the world, pulling strings & misusing the Energy they were given, have simply not become aware of their true power! It seems they believe power equals control & that by subjugating others under them they show their power, but they have forgotten where the reins of True Power lie!
True Power is not using our Energy to subjugate or control others; True Power is allowing that Energy to flow through us, directing it, through our choices, into the world around us, spreading our influence, sharing our power! When humanity remembers the Source of its power & its True Nature, then we will see wars & rumors of wars cease, power will no longer be transferred but shared, subjugation will be a thing of the past & the world will be transformed into a Garden, once again!
Charles Haddon Shank
Most recently in this country, politically speaking anyway, we have witnessed what is often termed, 'the transfer of power'. While it is very arguable that the so-called 'leader of the free world' ( POTUS ) is simply a figure-head, a 'puppet' even & that the powers that be never really were transferred, but simply changed their 'face', to give the people of thinations the illusion of 'choice', the 'transfer' seems to be going fairly smoothly, despite the childish bickering about the price of tea in China ( or is that Russia? ). It remains to be seen, one might observe, whether any 'good' will come of this new figurehead, or whether 'we, the people' will be subjected to more of the same: this blogger reluctantly predicts more on the order of the latter!
The simple definition of 'power' is 'the ability to do something or act in a particular way, especially as a faculty or quality; for instance, "the power of speech". A secondary definition should give us pause, though; 'the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events; for instance,
"the idea that men should have power over women." The notion that one should have power ( in this way ) over another is not foreign to humanity; the history of humanity, from its very genesis, has been an exercise in this pursuit! Biblically speaking, the 'serpent' in the Garden ( Genesis 3 ) used this power to his own advantage: Cain used his power over his brother by murdering him & the list goes on & on.
There can be no question that all of humanity has this power, not only to direct the course of their own lives, but to directly or indirectly influence the lives & choices of others. In some sense, there is nothing wrong with this talent, or ability, for it is naturally given by the Creator, but too often, especially for those in an unnatural relationship with their Creator, this power is used in a selfish way, to meet their own agenda, to satisfy their own lusts, without empathy, or care for how it might affect others. For ages, human beings have striven to assert this power over others, usually without stopping to consider if they should!
The Energy of which we are all composed, both what we call 'good' & 'bad', or Yin & Yang, if you will, is that which gives us this power! As always, though, we are faced with a choice when it comes to using this power, or expressing this energy. Many, as we can all bear witness to, use their energy in vain pursuits, exhausting themselves in the process & emptying themselves of their natural empathy & seeking their own pleasure, begin instead to use their power in a wrongful, even hurtful way, influencing others to fulfill their own lusts!
Not all who so misuse the Energy given them by the Creator do so in a purposefully evil, or hurtful way; most are ignorant of the fact that this behavior is unnatural! Human beings, to a large extent & for whatever reason, seem to have missed the forest for the trees. We have largely forgotten what our true nature is & rather than focusing on the Love, or good Energy, that surrounds us, we allow ourselves to be driven by Fear, or what might be called the 'bad', or negative Energy!
Many have chosen to throw off the yoke of bondage, not only from their own hearts, but from the hearts those with whom they have to do! By recovering their natural empathy, they have discovered that they themselves, as purveyors of the Divine Energy, have the power to change lives, not by using that power to subjugate & control, but by influencing others, through the Spirit Within, to choose for themselves what is good & right. Realizing our true nature & that we were all created with the same Energy, it becomes apparent to us that we are all in the same boat, all trying to do what seems best for us & for our loved ones. The choices we then make are tendered, not just with a thought for our own good, but with a mind for the betterment of all humanity!
Power, like the Energy that drives it, is never transferred, it is simply shared, or spread! One may give 'the reins of power', so to speak, over to another & many have ignorantly done this, not realizing their own power, but even though it seems like they have relinquished their power, the power remains in their own hands, to direct their lives as they will! Fear has driven many to the brink of despair, or at least held them in ignorance, thinking that their own power has transferred to another, whether for good or ill & that they have no choice but to blindly obey ( subjugation ), or face the consequences!
Those that know, have used this knowledge to begin a work, first, in themselves, then in the 'world' around them. They have the Power, through the Spirit Within, the Energy that drives us all, to change the course of events! 'The powers that be', those behind the figureheads of the world, pulling strings & misusing the Energy they were given, have simply not become aware of their true power! It seems they believe power equals control & that by subjugating others under them they show their power, but they have forgotten where the reins of True Power lie!
True Power is not using our Energy to subjugate or control others; True Power is allowing that Energy to flow through us, directing it, through our choices, into the world around us, spreading our influence, sharing our power! When humanity remembers the Source of its power & its True Nature, then we will see wars & rumors of wars cease, power will no longer be transferred but shared, subjugation will be a thing of the past & the world will be transformed into a Garden, once again!
Charles Haddon Shank
Saturday, March 04, 2017
Manifesting Destiny
Sarah was a smart little cookie! For one who had lost her mother at such an early age; she had grown up to be a beautiful & well-balanced little girl as well.At around one year of age, Sarah was walking & talking, one could see by the way she cocked her head that she was listening intently when a wise one spoke, her intent was obvious when she made her little strides, both inside the house & out & when she spoke, everyone gathered around, because for a little one year old, Sarah had a good vocabulary & gave people a lot to think about!
Most people spend their lives waiting; waiting for something great to happen, whether it be the love of their life, a new job, or winning the lottery! Destiny's child was not waiting for anything, except maybe for her body to grow into her spirit. She could walk & talk just fine, but because of her body's diminutive size, she still had a bit of trouble, sometimes, keeping up with the adults. The vocabulary she manifested, though, especially at such an early age, was astounding, unbelievable, even! Admittedly, because of the size of her mouth & her extremely young vocal cords, Sarah had a bit of difficulty with pronouncing the bigger words, but talk she did & act, when her small body would cooperate.
Thanks to a rich uncle that her mother had never mentioned, Sarah had just missed growing up in foster care! Ordinarily, for one so young, almost a newborn, the child in question would have been okay, not really ever having known his or her mother, but Sarah, from the moment of conception, had always known that she was no ordinary child. She knew that if her life was to go the direction she wanted, she would have to make it so; no waiting for others to make the right choices so that she could be happy, no waiting for things to happen; Sarah knew that if she wanted to make a difference, she couldn't waste any time. Her body would eventually catch up, but till then, she was going to get on with it!
As Sarah's body grew, the walking & talking did become a little easier, she became more verbose & easily understandable & she seemed to exhibit, rather interestingly, many of the same traits her mother had, even though she had passed away at such an early age! She was aware, already, of many things that ordinary children take for granted, for instance, that though her uncle's wife was not truly her mother, her milk was just as satisfying, her breasts just as succulent & comforting & that her uncle was not nearly the jerk her mother had always thought him to be. Sara had a good life; even though it had been such a bumpy transition, so to speak, things had actually gone fairly smoothly for her. Her mother's brother lived almost half a continent away, but when Sarah arrived at her new home, it was almost as if she had never left! Things that should have been new to her experience, people, places & things, were like an old, familiar blanket!
It was almost as if Sarah's uncle was making up for lost time! He recognized in this little child the chance to show the love he'd always had for his sister, but had never quite learned how to show. The little girl had everything she needed; as her body continued to form around her indomitable spirit, both her aunt & uncle encouraged her every advance, while showering her with all-important love & feeding her growing body with the most necessary nutrients.
For a little girl of one years age, Sarah had quite the social life; it's hard to imagine, but she had more callers, more friends than her aunt & uncle did! She was a very caring & sharing spirit, of course, so her friends soon became those of her caretakers, but it never ceased to amaze all those around her, how easily she attracted people of the same caliber, with the same energetic spirit, even though their bodies were often far more advanced in years than hers.
Even with her busy social calendar, Sarah was still a child; though her mind never tired of interacting with others, her little body was still forming, so she took naps throughout the day, sometimes even while visiting! While her body got the necessary rest, Sarah's brilliant mind was melding with any who chose to participate, sharing memories, information & other kinds of knowledge. With her penchant for symbiosis, Sarah got as good as she gave & so her status among those who knew & loved her never waned, but continued to blossom & grow, opening wider to the Energy she manifested!
For the second time, Sarah's birthday was nearing! Her uncle & his wife had always been the traditional sort, at least till Sarah came along, but they still felt like throwing her a party to celebrate her life thus far. She had no problem with this, as it coordinated well with her own wishes to celebrate that day. She had never quite fit in with the whole 'birthday' thing, but, 'Hey'; a celebration of life; that was another matter entirely! Life, even life in a small body, was something to be celebrated: she had a voice, a new perspective & with her new body, it was like a new beginning!
_________________________________________________________________________________
Sarah's Story is almost purely a work of fiction, but my wish is that it will resonate with your spirit as well as it has with mine! Many of us are waiting for a miracle & while I believe that miracles DO happen ( witness Sarah's Story ), I also believe that we were given the bodies we have inherited for a reason. If we want to experience life to the fullest, we must go out & live it to the fullest, with all the Energy we possess!
Charles Haddon Shank
Most people spend their lives waiting; waiting for something great to happen, whether it be the love of their life, a new job, or winning the lottery! Destiny's child was not waiting for anything, except maybe for her body to grow into her spirit. She could walk & talk just fine, but because of her body's diminutive size, she still had a bit of trouble, sometimes, keeping up with the adults. The vocabulary she manifested, though, especially at such an early age, was astounding, unbelievable, even! Admittedly, because of the size of her mouth & her extremely young vocal cords, Sarah had a bit of difficulty with pronouncing the bigger words, but talk she did & act, when her small body would cooperate.
Thanks to a rich uncle that her mother had never mentioned, Sarah had just missed growing up in foster care! Ordinarily, for one so young, almost a newborn, the child in question would have been okay, not really ever having known his or her mother, but Sarah, from the moment of conception, had always known that she was no ordinary child. She knew that if her life was to go the direction she wanted, she would have to make it so; no waiting for others to make the right choices so that she could be happy, no waiting for things to happen; Sarah knew that if she wanted to make a difference, she couldn't waste any time. Her body would eventually catch up, but till then, she was going to get on with it!
As Sarah's body grew, the walking & talking did become a little easier, she became more verbose & easily understandable & she seemed to exhibit, rather interestingly, many of the same traits her mother had, even though she had passed away at such an early age! She was aware, already, of many things that ordinary children take for granted, for instance, that though her uncle's wife was not truly her mother, her milk was just as satisfying, her breasts just as succulent & comforting & that her uncle was not nearly the jerk her mother had always thought him to be. Sara had a good life; even though it had been such a bumpy transition, so to speak, things had actually gone fairly smoothly for her. Her mother's brother lived almost half a continent away, but when Sarah arrived at her new home, it was almost as if she had never left! Things that should have been new to her experience, people, places & things, were like an old, familiar blanket!
It was almost as if Sarah's uncle was making up for lost time! He recognized in this little child the chance to show the love he'd always had for his sister, but had never quite learned how to show. The little girl had everything she needed; as her body continued to form around her indomitable spirit, both her aunt & uncle encouraged her every advance, while showering her with all-important love & feeding her growing body with the most necessary nutrients.
For a little girl of one years age, Sarah had quite the social life; it's hard to imagine, but she had more callers, more friends than her aunt & uncle did! She was a very caring & sharing spirit, of course, so her friends soon became those of her caretakers, but it never ceased to amaze all those around her, how easily she attracted people of the same caliber, with the same energetic spirit, even though their bodies were often far more advanced in years than hers.
Even with her busy social calendar, Sarah was still a child; though her mind never tired of interacting with others, her little body was still forming, so she took naps throughout the day, sometimes even while visiting! While her body got the necessary rest, Sarah's brilliant mind was melding with any who chose to participate, sharing memories, information & other kinds of knowledge. With her penchant for symbiosis, Sarah got as good as she gave & so her status among those who knew & loved her never waned, but continued to blossom & grow, opening wider to the Energy she manifested!
For the second time, Sarah's birthday was nearing! Her uncle & his wife had always been the traditional sort, at least till Sarah came along, but they still felt like throwing her a party to celebrate her life thus far. She had no problem with this, as it coordinated well with her own wishes to celebrate that day. She had never quite fit in with the whole 'birthday' thing, but, 'Hey'; a celebration of life; that was another matter entirely! Life, even life in a small body, was something to be celebrated: she had a voice, a new perspective & with her new body, it was like a new beginning!
_________________________________________________________________________________
Sarah's Story is almost purely a work of fiction, but my wish is that it will resonate with your spirit as well as it has with mine! Many of us are waiting for a miracle & while I believe that miracles DO happen ( witness Sarah's Story ), I also believe that we were given the bodies we have inherited for a reason. If we want to experience life to the fullest, we must go out & live it to the fullest, with all the Energy we possess!
Charles Haddon Shank
Friday, February 24, 2017
Where Have All the Good Men Gone, Revisited
Now early[a] in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him;
and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him,
"Teacher, this woman was caught[b] in adultery, in the very act."
John 8:2-5
Lately, the subject of child-murder, more popularly known as abortion, has surfaced, namely on my personal FaceBook page! I posted an article by a woman who had an abortion in favor of a child that she already had, justifying her act of murder by saying that it wouldn't have been fair to the one she already had if she kept them both. Now, given the fact that she had already chosen to at least risk conception by having sexual intercourse in the first place, most people with any sense in their heads would immediately note the inherent self-absorption in her seemingly careless actions!
One argument that has come up when it comes to the subject of abortion has to do with the other side of the coin, where too often the searchlight of judgment doesn't fall! The men who have engendered these unwanted children, whether by rape or otherwise irresponsible & reprehensible actions are not beyond the pale of responsibility, yet they seem to get away almost scot-free, definitely not earning the moniker, 'murderer', at least not to the extent that many women do. Whether this is merely an oversight, or whether it is loosely based on the pharasaical notion described in the verses above, it is not right that women should bear the responsibility alone when an unborn child is murdered!
'It takes two to tango!' A bit of a cliche', this old familiar phrase, in this context, simply states that a woman cannot conceive on her own. Now, Science & Technology have devised a way for a woman to conceive without using the normal means, a man, but even this practice still requires the sperm from a man. When a man & woman come together, conception does not always occur, especially with the aid of contraceptives or prophylactics ( condoms ), although these are not 100% effective. While it is true that because men are often more physically imposing than women ( not always the case ) & thus are often overbearing, especially when it comes to rape, the men do not bear the responsibility alone; like it or not, many rape victims are not so much the victim, whether because they knowingly place themselves in 'sticky' situations, or simply because they push the man to the point where he is ready to explode & then cry 'rape' when he takes full & knowing advantage of the situation: either way, a choice is made by both parties, for good or evil!
Rape is viewed by many who claim to be anti-abortion as a valid reason to abort, or murder the unwanted child. Although this is often a matter of great controversy among many, the argument can be nullified simply by remembering that it's all about choices: the choice, even post-rape, post-incest, or whatever the case may be, of whether to allow the child to grow, or to cut short its life with no chance of parole. Arguably, sometimes those who murder their own offspring may be doing the child a favor by not bringing him or her into this world or subjecting them to a less-than-perfect situation, but murder is murder, no matter the extenuating circumstances!
In this day & age, as we have explored previously in this blog ( Where Have All the Good Men Gone? ), good men are too often few & far between! This is not to say there are no good men anymore, but they seem to be getting harder & harder to find. Blame the Culture, as most do, but ultimately, much of the blame must be laid at the feet of organized religions, most notably Christianity, Judaism & Islam. In all three of these religions, maybe less so in Christianity, the status of women has been subjected to that of a man & her role most often viewed simply as a vehicle for procreation. Although women, particularly, maybe primarily in Christianity, have enjoyed an elevated status, almost equal to that of men, they are still forced to be subservient to men in most cases. This is not to say that organized religion has led to or allowed for the rape & abuse of women ( though in some cases that may be arguable ), but because of these practices, as well as the self-serving spirit of this day & age, many men have viewed women as simply an outlet for their frustrations!
It's only natural, biologically speaking, for a man to long for sexual intercourse: women too, are naturally beset by this 'urge'! Though perfectly natural & ordained by the Creator, it too is a matter of choice; choice as to when & how, even 'if'. Too many, especially in this day & age of 'free sex', with the aid of contraceptives, find it easy to be irresponsible & when the contraceptive fails, whether through a broken condom or whatever, to upgrade the irresponsibility to culpability by the act of murder!
The rape of women, though reprehensible & condemnable, is a sad fact; even though in most cases ( arguably ALL cases ), the woman is an innocent party, the choice to murder the even more innocent & helpless offspring of that 'union' is more reprehensible! To claim 'It's MY body' is the height of self-absorption, because the body in question is not that of the woman, though it is one she helped create; it is the body of an innocent child, one that, through no choice of his or her own, was conceived & brought to bear!
'Two wrongs do not make a right' is another familiar old cliche' that can & must be brought to bear here! For a man to rape or otherwise unlawfully impregnate a women is very wrong, but to add to that the crime of murder, no matter how convenient or legal, is only to compound the guilt. Murder is murder is murder: no matter the extenuating circumstances, for one to compound the guilt in such a manner only serves to spread the blame. The choice to commit rape is certainly wrong & while women are most often the unwilling victims, for them to turn around & for whatever reason, make the choice to terminate the often resulting pregnancy is equally wrong, being murder!
Charles Haddon Shank
Monday, February 13, 2017
The Sacrifice of Self-Love
Love, as anyone who has ever experienced the 'softer side' of it can tell you, is 'A Many Splintered Thing! When I say, 'the softer side', I'm referring of course, to the emotional 'feelings-based' version, the one that can change as quickly as the weather. Love, as we've often explored before in this blog, is, first & foremost, an action, though often based on feelings. Many recognize love as a choice, but only some choose to love sacrificially, while others love only superficially, as long as it suits their purpose & doesn't interfere with their plans.
As we near the middle of this month of februation ( look it up ), we should ponder the meaning of love; 'What is it good for?' 'Why should we care?' 'Who is it for?' 'When should we show it?' If love is based on physical intimacy, as some unions seem to be, it's likely that union won't last very long! Even in relationships built on physical intimacy, unless one or the other is willing to sacrifice their desires for the other's, the relationship will suffer harm even more quickly. Sacrifice, when it comes to matters of love, particularly in today's vernacular, is almost a foreign concept; O sure, when the relationship is in its beginning stages, one or both participants may try to make a good first impression, but once the relationship has gotten off the ground, so to speak, it often becomes difficult for the either of the two parties to give way to the other.
Self-love is gaining in popularity, of late! Social media outlets like FaceBook have noted a rise in the awareness of the necessity of loving oneself. Self-love is not a new concept & it's really only common sense to say that, unless & until one loves him or herself, it's not possible to truly love another. Though this idea has been around for centuries, even millenia, institutionalized religion, Christianity in particular, has done much to drive people away from the whole notion, teaching us that we are totally depraved, in essence, teaching us to hate ourselves because we are so depraved that we will not, on our own, choose to do what is just, right & good!
The doctrine of Total Depravity is almost impossible to refute, especially in this day & age, where depravity seems to run rampant! However, much of the problem can be linked to institutionalized Christianity, which has taught for centuries that this depravity will only get worse, until finally Jesus will come back & end it all. This belief, or doctrine has allowed the Institutional Church to sit back on its 'laurels', its Blessed Assurance, so to speak, almost welcoming this depravity as surety of the imminence of the so-called 'Second Coming!
Though the Parousia occurred in the 1st century, just like Jesus said it would ( Matthew 24:34, 26:64, etc. ), many Christians in this day & age do not believe His Word on this account; in fact, Institutional Christianity has taught for many centuries that Jesus has not yet returned as He promised. This in turn has had a detrimental effect on the culture around it & thus we see the degree of depravity that we do. Now, don't get me wrong, we can't blame institutional Christianity wholly; the individual still bears the full brunt of responsibility for their own choices, but institutionalized religion, Christianity in particular, must shoulder some of the blame as well!
Loving one's own self is different than being selfish! In the past, even in this day & age to some degree, it may seem there's not much difference, given the modern definition of love, but the difference is clear; loving oneself enables that one to love others, since it is impossible to give love without knowing what love really is. Selfishness is really almost the opposite of true love, for selfishness is not the love of self, but is more akin to a lust for self & things, even if they belong to another!
We have been taught for centuries that we are selfish, wicked creature & so we are! Humans are not naturally this way, though we have been noted for our tendency to make bad choices. Much of what we have been taught in this area is being discarded as hogwash by many in this day & age, rightly so, but along with it, many have seemingly thrown out the baby with the bathwater; some have gone so far in the opposite direction that they are living in direct contradiction to EVERYTHING they were taught. Thus, we bear witness to the 'free-love' of the 60s & the depravity of today!
'Love is not a victory march', sings a famous modern-day troubadour: much of our problem in this day & age, one might say, is that many view love as a conquest, something to be won! Really, if you think about it, when a person so loves themselves, it will be obvious to that significant other that, 'here is someone who knows how to love, who knows what love really is!' The love that a person has for another will be proportionate to the love that one has for him or herself. Any attempt to love another will not last unless one first learns to love oneself & I speak to myself here, more than to anyone else.
Many relationships fail because, 'I just don't love him or her anymore'! This is sadly true, largely because the love shown is equal to the love held & the willingness or unwillingness of either party to capitulate, or sacrifice for the good of the other. Here again though, one must understand what love truly is in order to wield it to the best effect. If one person sees love as merely physical intimacy, then that one will think of self-love as selfishness & will manifest this in any relationship that he or she strives to enter into. On the other hand, if one recognizes love for what it truly is, the ability to freely choose to do what is just, right & good, then that one will be able to truly love, not just him or herself, but the other as well!
The choice to love another is, at the same time, both the easiest & the hardest choice anyone can ever make! Love is sacrificial in the sense that we have to give of ourselves in order to love another. If we do not love ourselves, we cannot love another. Many people have a sort of superficial love, a love that might even go beyond those three little words that everyone loves to hear, a love that might flare up when it suits ones own selfish purpose, or fits into their plans.
A love that's built to last, though, must begin with ones own self! If we can but learn to love ourselves unselfishly, not lusting after our own needs & desires above those of everyone else, but treating ourselves with the justice, goodness & rightness that we would have others to treat us with. When love starts with ourselves, only then will it build any sort of lasting relationship.
May we BE the love that we wish to see in others,
Charles Haddon Shank
As we near the middle of this month of februation ( look it up ), we should ponder the meaning of love; 'What is it good for?' 'Why should we care?' 'Who is it for?' 'When should we show it?' If love is based on physical intimacy, as some unions seem to be, it's likely that union won't last very long! Even in relationships built on physical intimacy, unless one or the other is willing to sacrifice their desires for the other's, the relationship will suffer harm even more quickly. Sacrifice, when it comes to matters of love, particularly in today's vernacular, is almost a foreign concept; O sure, when the relationship is in its beginning stages, one or both participants may try to make a good first impression, but once the relationship has gotten off the ground, so to speak, it often becomes difficult for the either of the two parties to give way to the other.
Self-love is gaining in popularity, of late! Social media outlets like FaceBook have noted a rise in the awareness of the necessity of loving oneself. Self-love is not a new concept & it's really only common sense to say that, unless & until one loves him or herself, it's not possible to truly love another. Though this idea has been around for centuries, even millenia, institutionalized religion, Christianity in particular, has done much to drive people away from the whole notion, teaching us that we are totally depraved, in essence, teaching us to hate ourselves because we are so depraved that we will not, on our own, choose to do what is just, right & good!
The doctrine of Total Depravity is almost impossible to refute, especially in this day & age, where depravity seems to run rampant! However, much of the problem can be linked to institutionalized Christianity, which has taught for centuries that this depravity will only get worse, until finally Jesus will come back & end it all. This belief, or doctrine has allowed the Institutional Church to sit back on its 'laurels', its Blessed Assurance, so to speak, almost welcoming this depravity as surety of the imminence of the so-called 'Second Coming!
Though the Parousia occurred in the 1st century, just like Jesus said it would ( Matthew 24:34, 26:64, etc. ), many Christians in this day & age do not believe His Word on this account; in fact, Institutional Christianity has taught for many centuries that Jesus has not yet returned as He promised. This in turn has had a detrimental effect on the culture around it & thus we see the degree of depravity that we do. Now, don't get me wrong, we can't blame institutional Christianity wholly; the individual still bears the full brunt of responsibility for their own choices, but institutionalized religion, Christianity in particular, must shoulder some of the blame as well!
Loving one's own self is different than being selfish! In the past, even in this day & age to some degree, it may seem there's not much difference, given the modern definition of love, but the difference is clear; loving oneself enables that one to love others, since it is impossible to give love without knowing what love really is. Selfishness is really almost the opposite of true love, for selfishness is not the love of self, but is more akin to a lust for self & things, even if they belong to another!
We have been taught for centuries that we are selfish, wicked creature & so we are! Humans are not naturally this way, though we have been noted for our tendency to make bad choices. Much of what we have been taught in this area is being discarded as hogwash by many in this day & age, rightly so, but along with it, many have seemingly thrown out the baby with the bathwater; some have gone so far in the opposite direction that they are living in direct contradiction to EVERYTHING they were taught. Thus, we bear witness to the 'free-love' of the 60s & the depravity of today!
'Love is not a victory march', sings a famous modern-day troubadour: much of our problem in this day & age, one might say, is that many view love as a conquest, something to be won! Really, if you think about it, when a person so loves themselves, it will be obvious to that significant other that, 'here is someone who knows how to love, who knows what love really is!' The love that a person has for another will be proportionate to the love that one has for him or herself. Any attempt to love another will not last unless one first learns to love oneself & I speak to myself here, more than to anyone else.
Many relationships fail because, 'I just don't love him or her anymore'! This is sadly true, largely because the love shown is equal to the love held & the willingness or unwillingness of either party to capitulate, or sacrifice for the good of the other. Here again though, one must understand what love truly is in order to wield it to the best effect. If one person sees love as merely physical intimacy, then that one will think of self-love as selfishness & will manifest this in any relationship that he or she strives to enter into. On the other hand, if one recognizes love for what it truly is, the ability to freely choose to do what is just, right & good, then that one will be able to truly love, not just him or herself, but the other as well!
The choice to love another is, at the same time, both the easiest & the hardest choice anyone can ever make! Love is sacrificial in the sense that we have to give of ourselves in order to love another. If we do not love ourselves, we cannot love another. Many people have a sort of superficial love, a love that might even go beyond those three little words that everyone loves to hear, a love that might flare up when it suits ones own selfish purpose, or fits into their plans.
A love that's built to last, though, must begin with ones own self! If we can but learn to love ourselves unselfishly, not lusting after our own needs & desires above those of everyone else, but treating ourselves with the justice, goodness & rightness that we would have others to treat us with. When love starts with ourselves, only then will it build any sort of lasting relationship.
May we BE the love that we wish to see in others,
Charles Haddon Shank
Sunday, February 12, 2017
The Revelation of the Son of God; Ad Infinitum
'And I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, begotten, not made, being if one substance with the Father.........'
Was Jesus, who was the Christ ( Messiah ), truly the only ( begotten ) Son of God, as the Bible seems to claim? Jesus claimed to be the Son of God & to be sure, that most famous of verses, John 3:16, says that Jesus was the Creator God's 'only begotten Son'. In this oft-quoted passage, as well as in many others, John used the Greek 'μονογενής', transliterated 'monogenēs', meaning, 'single of its kind, only'. In relating the metaphorical Story of the sacrifice of Issac, the author/compiler recorded that Yahweh told Abraham to sacrifice his 'only [son ] Isaac'. Now, whether he was simply reminding Abraham that he only had one Isaac, or using prophetic imagery pointing forward thousands of years to Yahweh's own sacrifice of His only ( begotten ) Son, we can rest assured that though John made the point that this Jesus was the only 'begotten' son of His Father, He was by no means the only one; Adam, In Luke's genealogy ( chapter 3 ), was called '[ the son ] of God'; although the words 'the son' do not appear in the original Hebrew, so that it should simply read, 'Adam, of God'; Luke uses the same word structure throughout, saying, for example, that Isaac was 'of Abraham'.
Most Christians will deny the Fatherhood of the Creator God to those who have not covenanted with Him & specifically claimed the name of Christ, or Christian. Although this is biblically defensible, some might argue, living in what might be called 'a post-biblical era', that when Scripture makes the division between 'the children of God' ( I John 3:1 ) & 'the children of the devil' ( I John 3:10 ), we should think, not in terms of 'us versus them', as we have been taught, but historically of those who accepted Jesus as the Messiah of Israel versus those who denied Him as such, the Jews, or Israel according to the Flesh. Biblically speaking then, in our Western tradition, even those today who do not accept Him as the very Son of God are denied His divine protection!
According to Scripture, we, as the Church, are the Body of Christ! This glorious fact, although it is easily recognizable as metaphor, should be readily acknowledged as indicative of our Oneness with the Creator God;: the apostle Paul wrote to his brethren that marriage is a picture of this Divine Union. As such then, it may be noted that we, in this sense, are the Son of God! Again, most Christians would have difficulty saying this, as they believe that Jesus inhabits His biological Body in a place called 'Heaven' ( ? ). Since we are the Son of the Creator God, then we, like Jesus was, are 'begotten' of Him & of the same substance with Him. As we are 'spirits having a physical experience', we essentially are all part of the same Energy that was used to create the universe, in actuality, the Creator God Himself!
Some have gone so far as to say that we ARE the Creator God Himself & though we ARE one with Him in both His Divinity & Essence, we are NOT Him! Just as husband & wife become One, biblically speaking, they are yet two separate & distinguishable people: we, having become One with the Creator God, are yet distinguishable from Him, though we ARE of One Essence. As creators ourselves, we even play a 'god-like' role, though on a much smaller scale, what with our intellectual & biological properties. To a somewhat limited extent, we even create life! History, too, is full of examples of the intellectual properties that men & women of old have created!
As the Body of Christ, corporately speaking, we are most certainly NOT the same biological Body in which Jesus walked this earth, almost 2,000 years ago! However, we understand that the apostle, when he wrote this in his letter to the Church, was using the allegorical language that was common to his people. Although Paul referred to the Church in a metaphorical sense, we know that, in a very real sense, Jesus, the Creator God Himself, does inhabit His biological Body, us! John, in his revelation of the Gospel ( John 14:23 ), recorded Jesus as promising, 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him'. Though these words were spoken to Jews in the first century ( AD ), they are universal in impact, as true now as then!
It is widely-accepted, traditionally speaking, that Adam, in the Garden, was in covenant with the Creator God! Although this is without doubt, the first time a covenant is specially named & elucidated as such is when Yahweh instituted one such with Abram ( Genesis 15 ). The Adamic Covenant, rather than being based upon a mutual agreement, as was the Abrahamic covenant; the Creator God's covenant with Adam, on the other hand, was not like that one, in the sense that there is no record of Adam having ever acquiesced to any covenant, spoken or otherwise. The Creator God simply placed Adam into the Garden ( Paradise? ) & placed him in charge of it all & brought him a wife: no commitment, nothing, except 'do this & die!'
Much like today, there was such a thing as Natural Law ( AKA, the Laws of Nature & Nature's God ); Adam somehow broke that Natural Law, that unspoken covenant & was removed from ( the blessings of ) the Garden for his pains! We have been taught, traditionally speaking, that he ate from a tree that he had been forbidden, but the allegorical nature of this part of the Story is obvious; the true meaning, however, is not, so we can only speculate on what was meant by 'the tree of the knowledge of good & evil'
Even though Adam broke this first covenant & tried to shift the blame, in essence, to the Creator God Himself, we find that he still enjoyed Divine Protection, as did his descendants ( Genesis 4:15 )! Cain, like his father Adam, broke that Natural Law, as did many after him ( at least one every generation ) & though he suffered greatly because of it, like his father, he still enjoyed favor from the Creator God; in that He promised 'vengeance.........sevenfold'.
Scripturally speaking, there is no denying the fact that the 'sons of God' were those who accepted Jesus as their Messiah! Even in the Hebrew Scriptures, the term was often used to refer to the godly line of Seth, as opposed to the sons of Cain, or for example, 'sons of Belial'. In the Western Christian tradition, even today, we are used to observing the same distinction, referring to ourselves as 'sons of God' & to those who do not share our beliefs as somehow almost less than human!
Jesus was born according to Promise, much like Isaac, thousands of years earlier, was! Yes, the Gospel records, according to prophesy ( Isaiah 7:14 ), that the Holy Spirit would 'overshadow' Mary, who was betrothed to Joseph & that the Child would be called 'the Son of God': many years earlier, the Creator God promised Abraham, 'I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son' ( Genesis 18:10 ). It is widely accepted ( if given much thought at all ) that Isaac was the natural-born son of Abraham, yet the language here used is not unlike that in the Gospel account!
Was Jesus indeed the only begotten Son of God, as our Bibles tell us, or was He simply the Creator God Himself who took the form of a Man in order to redeem His ( covenant ) Creation to Himself? The doctrine of the Trinity makes much of the distinction that Scripture seems to make between the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit; without going to far in theorizing over this matter, suffice to say that if it was simply the Creator God Himself, the Father of all the Living, who took the form of the Man Jesus, then this doctrine seems to fall flat on its face!
Did Jesus walk the earth as the Son of God, in part to show us that human beings could indeed be sons of God? What if, rather than being 'God in Three Persons', the Creator God simply invested Himself into His Creation in order that they ( we ) might realize our innate Oneness with Him? Are we Sons & Daughters of the Creator God, our Heavenly Father, by merit of accepting the biblical Jesus as our Lord & Savior, or are we His children through spiritual generation?
Charles Haddon Shank
Saturday, February 04, 2017
The Power of Positive Thinking; a Modern Parable
Bob had never been to a healer! Sure, he had gone to plenty of medical doctors who prescribed any number of pills, even vitamins. He'd even been to those who practiced Oriental medicine & stuck him full of needles. Homeopathy, although fairly recently enjoying more wide-spread acceptance, was not out of the picture either. Now, faith healers, like those infamous televangelists that like to push people down & then claim they've healed them, Bob knew enough about their kind to know that most were full of shit & not worth their salt! But a real, honest-to-God healer, one who was more concerned with realigning things like 'chakra', or 'qi', now that, he'd been told, was just a bunch of Eastern mysticism crap & he should avoid it like the plague! I mean, really, a 'holy' man standing there chanting a bunch of mumbo-jumbo over your inert body; that's supposed to do something for you?!
So, Bob had been to all kinds of doctors, taken all kinds of vitamins, even some potions & while they seemed to do some good, at least when he faithfully took them, he had noticed that his affliction seemed to slowly worsen! Sure, it was all but imperceptible sometimes, but after all, the doctors all said it would get progressively worse! When Bob finally broke down & decided to thumb his nose at all that was culturally acceptable, he visited one of those 'mumbo-jumbo' guys. Though a bit unsure at first, he had begun to accept that just treating symptoms was no longer an option; though it would very likely take a long time, by finding the problem at the 'heart', or the innermost ( spirit ) being, the adverse effects of any disease could be reversed, at least to some extent; some effects simply cannot be reversed!
Energy, positive or negative, is a natural fact! Whether one thinks positively or negatively has a lot of bearing on, not only how one acts, but also on their health. Knowing this, Bob had always tried to be positive about life, its ups & downs, but as we can all attest to, life has a way, to some extent & in some situations, of turning that smile into a frown, of making one forget the positive aspects & get caught up in the negative. The effects were noticeable; Bob had become increasingly listless, though he tried to keep a 'happy face' on; it had become increasingly harder to stay on top of things & life, in all its ugliness, had begun to drag him down! Oh, he still kept the beautiful parts of life in the back of his mind, but even there, those moments seemed to be getting further apart & fewer in between!
Life is beautiful & when you, in your innermost being, are correctly aligned with it, it's even more beautiful! Yes, life is still the School of Hard Knocks ( if anyone knew this, Bob did ), so one kinda has to take the good with 'bad'. However, with a positive outlook, 'it's ALL good!' Even what we normally look at as 'bad', or even 'evil' becomes good! Bob knew Romans 8:28 by heart ( his favorite, in fact ), along with certain other Bible verses, having been taught from an early age to 'keep these things' in his heart. The apostle Paul tells us that 'all things work together for good to those that love God', or something to that effect. He had always believed this & tried to look at it this way, putting a positive spin on things, but damn it, some things were just impossible to look as as having a silver lining!
Bob's energy had been zapped! Almost without notice & for whatever reason, things had been going downhill fast! It was not that he had lost his precious faith; he still believed the apostle's words, but something has been draining his energy & he didn't know why he felt the way he did. When he finally broke down & decided to try something that was 'off the beaten path', so to speak ( though it had been an ancient practice ), Bob could tell right away that he had taken the right step. He felt his energy ( he was positive ) returning to him. His smile was back & he was noticing more & more of the beautiful aspects of life & less & less of the ugliness. Oh, the ugliness was still there, don't get me wrong, but it was beginning to be less noticeable to him!
As the healer intoned those famed words over him & employed his 'mumbo-jumbo' ( good 'ju-ju', so to speak ) Bob could feel the negativity leaving his body! Already, he felt the healing power, the energy that was being employed. All his life, Bob had been taught to seek healing outside of himself, so to speak, but as more positive influences began to affect him, he had begun to note that his own choices had the greatest effect on his own life, mind, spirit & body. Doctors had their place, to be sure, vitamins & other supplements were surely advantageous, but the greatest thing that one can do is to make the right choices; not the ones that everyone tells you are right, but the ones you know are right!
Bob had learned that not everything that is culturally acceptable is right & that not everything that is culturally unacceptable is bad! In order for our bodies to heal themselves, as they were meant to, Bob had found out, it is supremely necessary to know oneself! We may learn much about our bodies by visiting doctors, visiting medicine men & even shamans, but it is within us, deep within us that we will find the answer to our pain; it is there that we must begin!
Charles Haddon Shank
So, Bob had been to all kinds of doctors, taken all kinds of vitamins, even some potions & while they seemed to do some good, at least when he faithfully took them, he had noticed that his affliction seemed to slowly worsen! Sure, it was all but imperceptible sometimes, but after all, the doctors all said it would get progressively worse! When Bob finally broke down & decided to thumb his nose at all that was culturally acceptable, he visited one of those 'mumbo-jumbo' guys. Though a bit unsure at first, he had begun to accept that just treating symptoms was no longer an option; though it would very likely take a long time, by finding the problem at the 'heart', or the innermost ( spirit ) being, the adverse effects of any disease could be reversed, at least to some extent; some effects simply cannot be reversed!
Energy, positive or negative, is a natural fact! Whether one thinks positively or negatively has a lot of bearing on, not only how one acts, but also on their health. Knowing this, Bob had always tried to be positive about life, its ups & downs, but as we can all attest to, life has a way, to some extent & in some situations, of turning that smile into a frown, of making one forget the positive aspects & get caught up in the negative. The effects were noticeable; Bob had become increasingly listless, though he tried to keep a 'happy face' on; it had become increasingly harder to stay on top of things & life, in all its ugliness, had begun to drag him down! Oh, he still kept the beautiful parts of life in the back of his mind, but even there, those moments seemed to be getting further apart & fewer in between!
Life is beautiful & when you, in your innermost being, are correctly aligned with it, it's even more beautiful! Yes, life is still the School of Hard Knocks ( if anyone knew this, Bob did ), so one kinda has to take the good with 'bad'. However, with a positive outlook, 'it's ALL good!' Even what we normally look at as 'bad', or even 'evil' becomes good! Bob knew Romans 8:28 by heart ( his favorite, in fact ), along with certain other Bible verses, having been taught from an early age to 'keep these things' in his heart. The apostle Paul tells us that 'all things work together for good to those that love God', or something to that effect. He had always believed this & tried to look at it this way, putting a positive spin on things, but damn it, some things were just impossible to look as as having a silver lining!
Bob's energy had been zapped! Almost without notice & for whatever reason, things had been going downhill fast! It was not that he had lost his precious faith; he still believed the apostle's words, but something has been draining his energy & he didn't know why he felt the way he did. When he finally broke down & decided to try something that was 'off the beaten path', so to speak ( though it had been an ancient practice ), Bob could tell right away that he had taken the right step. He felt his energy ( he was positive ) returning to him. His smile was back & he was noticing more & more of the beautiful aspects of life & less & less of the ugliness. Oh, the ugliness was still there, don't get me wrong, but it was beginning to be less noticeable to him!
As the healer intoned those famed words over him & employed his 'mumbo-jumbo' ( good 'ju-ju', so to speak ) Bob could feel the negativity leaving his body! Already, he felt the healing power, the energy that was being employed. All his life, Bob had been taught to seek healing outside of himself, so to speak, but as more positive influences began to affect him, he had begun to note that his own choices had the greatest effect on his own life, mind, spirit & body. Doctors had their place, to be sure, vitamins & other supplements were surely advantageous, but the greatest thing that one can do is to make the right choices; not the ones that everyone tells you are right, but the ones you know are right!
Bob had learned that not everything that is culturally acceptable is right & that not everything that is culturally unacceptable is bad! In order for our bodies to heal themselves, as they were meant to, Bob had found out, it is supremely necessary to know oneself! We may learn much about our bodies by visiting doctors, visiting medicine men & even shamans, but it is within us, deep within us that we will find the answer to our pain; it is there that we must begin!
Charles Haddon Shank
Wednesday, February 01, 2017
In Dreams We Soar; To New Heights
It was a familiar feeling. When Deothora opened her eyes, however, it was almost as if they remained closed! The air rushing by her face somehow felt different too, like before, yet even colder! Though she felt the same security as she had before, there was something different, like it was................heightened, somehow. The familiar greeting rumbled down to her, 'Oh good, you're awake!' That goofy, almost cartoonish face she had grown to love now loomed into view as she craned her gaze upwards, but as she did, her attention focused, not on the green furry thing that was transporting her, but on WHERE he was transporting her! 'Where ARE we?' she wondered. Before she could voice her concerns, however, as if reading her thoughts, Elothar answered with his powerful, yet gentle voice, 'Where do you THINK we are?' Deothora didn't answer for the longest time, as she took in the dark beauty around her. Somehow she knew the answer, of course, but the glory of it all literally took her breath away!
Deothora had gone to her bed several hours previously, but had spent that time tossing & turning, drifting here & there, finally falling into a troubled sleep just a little before finding herself transported to these dark reaches. Well, 'dark reaches' was actually not quite correct; there was light all around, the light of what seemed countless stars, like pinholes of light shining through a piece of black construction paper. Finding her voice once more, Deothora tremblingly answered the question ( which she had all but forgotten ), with yet another question, 'are we in outer space?' With an almost startling roar, which sounded strangely like a laugh, Elothar responded with another question; 'outer space', what's that?' 'If you mean the heavens beyond, then yes; we ARE in Space & Time, yet outside of both, in a manner of speaking.' Satisfied, yet somehow dissatisfied with this answer, Deothora was content to let her gaze wander, as she rested secure in those mighty, but gentle paws.
Soaring slowly by, it seemed, were blazing jewels of all shapes & sizes. Some of the shapes, she noticed, were more or less recognizable as the planets she had grown up studying in her astronomy books. Astronomy, for some reason, had always held the greatest fascination for Deothara! Ever since she was a little girl, she had always dreamed of soaring through the heavens, viewing these jewels from a safe, yet wonderful distance. up close & personal, you might say! Surrounded as she was by the beauty of the heavens, Deothora had almost forgotten the cold darkness that surrounded her, though she shouldn't have been surprised, safe & secure as she was, in the folds of those giant paws!
As they soared through the heavens, something occurred to Deothora that had previously not even been a concern; 'How is it that I'm not having any trouble breathing, as high as we are?' Feeling the almost imperceptible laughter in his gentle voice, she felt as well as heard the dragon's short reply, 'you're with me!' 'When you fly with me, Time & Space are not a concern; the life that you experience in the 'everyday' is constrained by Time & Space!' 'No one could bear these heights, not to mention the cold darkness, on their own, but in my presence, these constraints are no more!' Silently pondering these things in her heart, Deothora returned her gaze to the heavens that surrounded her. She looked down for the first time since she had awoken in that familiar grasp & noticed that, far below her, she could just make out a brilliant jewel, not as bright as the lights that surrounded her, but somehow more glittering!
Elothar, without waiting for her to ask ( it's like he knew what she was thinking! ), suddenly swooped toward the glittering jewel she had just taken note of. Gently swooping toward the brilliant object below, Deothora began to recognize different colors & patterns; there were noticeably blue areas, smaller green areas & even differing tans & browns. As they gracefully descended toward the glittering jewel, Deothora realized, with as light tinge of sadness, that their time together was drawing to a close. Drawing ever closer, Deothora noticed, with a new fascination, the vivid contrast that this particular jewel held, over all the others she had seen! The colors stood out in such a way that she wondered at the way the different colors stood out like different paints on an artist's pallette, yet the way they melded together brought to her mind the notion that beneath it all was a living, breathing being.
It seemed like they had been soaring for hours, even beyond the limits of Time & Space, yet when Deothora woke in her own bed the next morning, she felt rested; more than she had for quite some time! As she thought back on her flight of fancy with her favorite dragon, Deothora knew that she had found 'Heaven'; soaring through the heavens, beyond the reach of Time & Space, so to speak, she had experienced what so many of us long for, what we only dream of, what we hope for. 'Heaven', as Deothora glimpsed that night ( 'was it 'night'? ) is within; all we need to do is grab hold of our 'dragon' & soar to new heights!
Charles Haddon Shank
Deothora had gone to her bed several hours previously, but had spent that time tossing & turning, drifting here & there, finally falling into a troubled sleep just a little before finding herself transported to these dark reaches. Well, 'dark reaches' was actually not quite correct; there was light all around, the light of what seemed countless stars, like pinholes of light shining through a piece of black construction paper. Finding her voice once more, Deothora tremblingly answered the question ( which she had all but forgotten ), with yet another question, 'are we in outer space?' With an almost startling roar, which sounded strangely like a laugh, Elothar responded with another question; 'outer space', what's that?' 'If you mean the heavens beyond, then yes; we ARE in Space & Time, yet outside of both, in a manner of speaking.' Satisfied, yet somehow dissatisfied with this answer, Deothora was content to let her gaze wander, as she rested secure in those mighty, but gentle paws.
Soaring slowly by, it seemed, were blazing jewels of all shapes & sizes. Some of the shapes, she noticed, were more or less recognizable as the planets she had grown up studying in her astronomy books. Astronomy, for some reason, had always held the greatest fascination for Deothara! Ever since she was a little girl, she had always dreamed of soaring through the heavens, viewing these jewels from a safe, yet wonderful distance. up close & personal, you might say! Surrounded as she was by the beauty of the heavens, Deothora had almost forgotten the cold darkness that surrounded her, though she shouldn't have been surprised, safe & secure as she was, in the folds of those giant paws!
As they soared through the heavens, something occurred to Deothora that had previously not even been a concern; 'How is it that I'm not having any trouble breathing, as high as we are?' Feeling the almost imperceptible laughter in his gentle voice, she felt as well as heard the dragon's short reply, 'you're with me!' 'When you fly with me, Time & Space are not a concern; the life that you experience in the 'everyday' is constrained by Time & Space!' 'No one could bear these heights, not to mention the cold darkness, on their own, but in my presence, these constraints are no more!' Silently pondering these things in her heart, Deothora returned her gaze to the heavens that surrounded her. She looked down for the first time since she had awoken in that familiar grasp & noticed that, far below her, she could just make out a brilliant jewel, not as bright as the lights that surrounded her, but somehow more glittering!
Elothar, without waiting for her to ask ( it's like he knew what she was thinking! ), suddenly swooped toward the glittering jewel she had just taken note of. Gently swooping toward the brilliant object below, Deothora began to recognize different colors & patterns; there were noticeably blue areas, smaller green areas & even differing tans & browns. As they gracefully descended toward the glittering jewel, Deothora realized, with as light tinge of sadness, that their time together was drawing to a close. Drawing ever closer, Deothora noticed, with a new fascination, the vivid contrast that this particular jewel held, over all the others she had seen! The colors stood out in such a way that she wondered at the way the different colors stood out like different paints on an artist's pallette, yet the way they melded together brought to her mind the notion that beneath it all was a living, breathing being.
It seemed like they had been soaring for hours, even beyond the limits of Time & Space, yet when Deothora woke in her own bed the next morning, she felt rested; more than she had for quite some time! As she thought back on her flight of fancy with her favorite dragon, Deothora knew that she had found 'Heaven'; soaring through the heavens, beyond the reach of Time & Space, so to speak, she had experienced what so many of us long for, what we only dream of, what we hope for. 'Heaven', as Deothora glimpsed that night ( 'was it 'night'? ) is within; all we need to do is grab hold of our 'dragon' & soar to new heights!
Charles Haddon Shank
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